By Page Six | Created at 2026-08-20 02:51:07 | Updated at 2026-08-20 03:11:20
1 hour ago
The Drug Enforcement Administration has joined the investigation into Hayden Panettiere’s death.
Law enforcement officials confirmed to Page Six that the DEA is working alongside the Greenville Police Department and the coroner’s office to investigate the actress’ death on Sunday, and that it may be the result of a drug overdose.
TMZ previously reported that a device used to dispense Narcan — a drug used to reverse an overdose — was located on a mattress nearby where the actress died at a South Carolina Airbnb. It’s unclear if a dose was administered to Panettiere.
Paramedics initially responded to a call regarding a victim in “cardiac arrest,” and paramedics performed CPR for the “overdose,” according to a 911 dispatch call obtained by Page Six.
Emergency responders also tried to resuscitate the actress with “advanced cardiac life support,” but she was ultimately pronounced dead at 2:32 p.m. local time.
She was 36 years old.
Panettiere was at the apartment with her on-again, off-again boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, and his brother, Zach Hickerson, when she died.
According to a police report obtained by Page Six, Brian had shown officers a “bag of medication” she had been taking.
While it’s unclear what the substances were, the “Ice Princess” star’s hairdresser and good friend, Erick Orellana, exclusively told Page Six that Panettiere suffered from intense back pain in the months leading up to her death.
She was photographed in March with Brian at Los Angeles International Airport using crutches to get around.
She’d also been candid in the past about her battle with addiction, previously telling People in 2022 that she “couldn’t live without” alcohol and opioids at one point.
In 2018, Panettiere gave up custody of her now 11-year-old daughter, Kaya, amid her struggles with substance abuse and postpartum depression.
At the time, her daughter went to live with her ex-fiancé, Wladimir Klitschko, in Ukraine.
However, Panettiere has built a strong bond with Kaya over the years and had planned to visit the latter abroad in the coming weeks.
Panettiere’s cause of death has yet to be revealed. Her autopsy showed she had no “signs of trauma,” we previously reported.
The “Disney” alum and Brian had flown from California to the south the day before she died.
The duo have been involved in an on-and-off relationship since 2018 and reconnected a few weeks before her tragic passing.
An insider told Page Six that Brian — who’s been arrested multiple times for domestic violence against her — “would always find a way to work his way back into Hayden’s life as ‘a friend,'” describing him as “a real jerk.”
If you or someone you care about is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
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