Nancy Grace Slams Officials for Quick Dismissal of Foul Play in Hayden Panettiere's Death
Nancy Grace has thoughts about the ongoing investigation into the death of late actress Hayden Panettiere.
“When I find a dead body, I don't just assume there's no foul play,” Grace, 66, said on the Wednesday, August 19, episode of her Crime Stories show, while discussing Panettiere’s sudden death at 36. “That's completely irresponsible.”
Grace subsequently asked Crime Stories investigative reporter Dave Mack to “throw [her] a bone” and share the facts of the case.
“Who? What? Where? When? Why?” Grace asked. “Where was she found? When was she found? Give me the circumstances. What was found at the scene? Was anybody there? Help me out, Dave.”
Nashville and Heroes actress Panettiere was found dead in Greenville, South Carolina, on Sunday, August 16.
“It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden,” her father, Skip Panettiere, told Us in a statement shared via a spokesperson. “She was an incredible light and a force of nature who brought immeasurable love and joy to all who knew her — and to the millions who watched her onscreen. We ask for privacy as our family takes time to process this unimaginable loss.”
In addition to her father, Hayden is survived by her estranged mother, Lesley Vogel, and her 11-year-old daughter, Kaya, whom she shared with ex Wladimir Klitschko. (Skip and Vogel were also parents of son Jansen, who died in 2023 at the age of 28 following an undiagnosed heart condition.)
An investigation into Hayden’s death is ongoing with local police officials quickly ruling out foul play. Vogel, 70, has since told NBC News that a narcotics investigator was called into the death probe.
“At autopsy no signs of trauma were discovered that would have contributed to the death,” the coroner’s official said in a Monday, August 18, report. “This investigation remains active and ongoing. No further details are available for release at this time.”
As for Grace, she acknowledged that separate investigators found “no sign of foul play” in cases pertaining to the respective deaths of Matthew Perry, Michael Jackson and Elvis Presley.
“There were investigations, right?” Grace said. “So, when everybody keeps screaming no signs of foul play, that means nothing to me.”
Grace interviewed toxicologist and medical examiner Dr. Thomas Coyne, who has no connection to Hayden’s case, on Wednesday to provide insight into the concept of ruling out “foul play” in similar instances.
“It's something we typically say in these types of cases. It just lets the public know that there's no obvious trauma, no obvious murder that may have occurred,” Coyne explained. “But, in these cases, especially overdose cases, the answer isn't present at the autopsy. It takes weeks to obtain toxicology results, and so therefore, in the meantime, you do your best to sort of try to provide answers while, at the same time, being respectful for the loved ones who are also at home waiting for those answers as well.”
A cause of death has not yet been publicly revealed, with multiple outlets also reporting that Hayden was found unconscious after an apparent overdose.
