The investigation surrounding the sudden death of Hayden Panettiere has expanded, with the Drug Enforcement Administration now working alongside local authorities to determine what happened to the “Heroes” and “Nashville” actress.
Panettiere died Sunday, August 16, while temporarily staying at an Airbnb in Greenville, South Carolina. She was 36.
Law enforcement officials confirmed to Page Six that the DEA is assisting the Greenville Police Department and the coroner’s office as investigators examine the possibility that her death was connected to a drug overdose.
Emergency Responders Tried to Save Panettiere
Emergency services were called to the property shortly before 2 p.m. after receiving a report of a woman in cardiac arrest.
According to dispatch information obtained by Page Six, CPR was performed and emergency personnel used advanced cardiac life-support measures in an attempt to revive Panettiere. Despite those efforts, she was pronounced dead at 2:32 p.m. local time.
A device designed to dispense Narcan, a medication used in emergencies to reverse opioid overdoses, was reportedly discovered near where Panettiere was found. However, it has not been established whether Narcan was administered to her.
Importantly, an overdose has not been confirmed as her official cause of death. Toxicology and additional investigative work are still pending.
A Bag of Medication Was Given to Police
Panettiere had traveled from California to South Carolina shortly before her death and was reportedly at the property with her on-again, off-again boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, and his brother, Zach.
According to a police report obtained by Page Six, Hickerson showed an officer a bag containing medications Panettiere had reportedly been taking. The publicly released report did not identify those medications, although nine entries were reportedly listed.
The presence of the DEA indicates that investigators are taking a closer look at the circumstances surrounding the potential involvement of controlled substances. It does not, by itself, establish that a crime occurred or determine what caused Panettiere’s death.
Autopsy Found No Signs of Trauma
One significant finding has already emerged from Panettiere’s autopsy.
The Greenville County Coroner’s Office said investigators found no signs of trauma that would have contributed to her death. Police also initially reported finding no evidence of foul play or suspicious circumstances.
The case nevertheless remains active while authorities await further testing needed to establish the cause and manner of death.
Panettiere Had Spoken Openly About Addiction
Throughout the later years of her life, Panettiere was candid about her previous struggles with alcohol and opioid dependency, as well as postpartum depression.
She had discussed seeking treatment and the impact addiction had on her personal life, including her relationship with her daughter, Kaya, whom she shared with former fiancé Wladimir Klitschko.
Friends had also said that Panettiere experienced serious back pain in the months before her death. She was photographed using crutches earlier this year, and one close friend described the pain as severe enough to affect her mobility.
For now, however, those details remain part of the broader circumstances surrounding her death—not proof of its cause.
With the DEA, Greenville Police Department and Greenville County Coroner’s Office involved, the central question remains unanswered: what exactly caused Hayden Panettiere’s death? Until toxicology results and the investigation are complete, any definitive conclusion would be premature.
