The Drug Enforcement Administration has joined the investigation into the sudden death of actress Hayden Panettiere, adding a federal agency to a case that remains unresolved nearly a week after the 36-year-old was found unresponsive. Greenville police in South Carolina are leading the investigation, while the DEA is assisting, according to reports citing sources familiar with the matter. Authorities have not announced an official cause of death, though dispatch audio in which first responders referred to a possible overdose has fueled speculation.
Panettiere died Sunday, August 16th, at a residence on Easley Bridge Road in Greenville. Police and emergency personnel responded to a report of an unresponsive woman and found first responders attempting lifesaving measures. The Greenville County Coroner’s Office said Panettiere was in cardiac arrest and was pronounced dead at 2:32 p.m. after resuscitation efforts failed.
A redacted police report identified Panettiere’s on-again, off-again boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, and his brother, Zach Hickerson, as the two men who were at the residence when she was found. According to the report, Hickerson showed responding officers a bag containing medications that Panettiere had reportedly been taking. The report did not establish whether she had been using drugs or alcohol at the time of her death.
The Daily Caller reported Thursday that the DEA had entered the investigation as Greenville authorities continued examining the scene and awaiting further testing. The DEA’s precise role has not been publicly detailed. Officials have not announced any arrest or criminal charge connected to Panettiere’s death.
Investigators executed a search warrant at the residence, and the building’s courtesy officer told police that surveillance footage was available showing Panettiere and the two men arriving at and leaving the property. Dispatch audio from the emergency response included references to a possible “overdose” and “CPR in progress.” The Daily Caller also reported that a device used to administer Narcan, an opioid-overdose reversal medication, was found on a mattress at the scene.
Those details have drawn attention to the possibility of an opioid-related emergency, but officials have not confirmed that theory. An autopsy found no signs of trauma that would have contributed to Panettiere’s death. The coroner said the cause and manner of death “remain pending further investigation and the completion of additional studies,” including toxicology testing, according to ABC News.
Panettiere had spoken publicly about struggles with alcohol and opioids, as well as postpartum depression and recovery. She addressed those experiences, domestic abuse, and the pressures of growing up in Hollywood in her memoir, “This Is Me: A Reckoning,” released in May. Her past struggles could provide context for the investigation, but authorities have not said that any specific substance caused her death.
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The actress began working as a child and became widely known for playing Claire Bennet on NBC’s “Heroes” and country singer Juliette Barnes on ABC’s “Nashville.” Her film credits included “Remember the Titans,” “Raising Helen,” “Ice Princess,” “Scream 4,” and “Scream VI.” She is survived by her daughter, Kaya, whom she shared with former fiancé and heavyweight boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko.
Panettiere’s father, Skip Panettiere, asked for privacy as the family mourned. “It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden,” he said in a family statement. “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.”