Police give update on Hayden Panettiere’s death investigation after overdose ruling

By Page Six | Created at 2026-09-25 22:03:39 | Updated at 2026-09-26 01:48:07 7 hours ago

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Hayden Panettiere’s death investigation remains active and ongoing despite the determination of the actress’ cause and manner of death, Page Six can confirm.

“The actual investigation is still open,” the Greenville Police Department PIO told us Friday.

The clarification comes after we obtained a redacted CAD report detailing the timeline of the 911 call placed after Panettiere, 36, was found unresponsive at an Airbnb in Greenville, South Carolina, on the afternoon of Aug. 16.

Hayden Panettiere’s death investigation remains active and ongoing, Page Six can confirm. (She’s pictured in November 2022.) Getty Images for amfAR
“The actual investigation is still open,” the Greenville Police Department PIO told us Friday. (Pictured: Panettiere in May.) Janet Mayer / Shutterstock

Though the document reads, “incident status: closed,” the PIO explained that simply means the actual incident (the call) was closed and doesn’t show up on GPD’s screens anymore.

Earlier this week, the Greenville County Coroner’s Office announced that Panettiere’s death was an “accident” caused by “the toxic effects” of fentanyl, 4-ANPP, alprazolam, methocarbamol and quetiapine.

Naloxone and cotinine were also detected in her system, according to the results of the toxicology.

The clarification comes after we obtained a redacted CAD report detailing the timeline of the 911 call placed after Panettiere (pictured in January 2017) was found unresponsive at an Airbnb in Greenville, South Carolina, on the afternoon of Aug. 16. FilmMagic
Though the document reads, “incident status: closed,” the PIO explained that simply means the actual incident (the call) was closed and doesn’t show up on GPD’s screens anymore. (Pictured: Panettiere in May.) haydenpanettiere/Instagram

It was previously known that Panettiere and her on-off boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, had flown to Greenville from Los Angeles the day before she died. He told responding officers he went to sleep in the bedroom and that the “Heroes” star fell asleep in the living room.

Hickerson said he woke up around 10 or 10:30 a.m. on Sunday and saw Panettiere applying her makeup in the bathroom.

They “ate cereal together” before Hickerson, 37, allegedly “fell back asleep” in the bedroom. He said he woke back up later that afternoon after hearing his brother Zach Hickerson knock on the front door. The trio had plans to go out to lunch.

Earlier this week, the Greenville County Coroner’s Office announced that Panettiere’s death was an “accident” caused by “the toxic effects” of fentanyl, 4-ANPP, alprazolam, methocarbamol and quetiapine. (She’s pictured in January 2017.) FilmMagic
Naloxone and cotinine were also detected in her system, according to the results of the toxicology. (She’s pictured in March 2023.) Photo Image Press / Shutterstock

One of the two Hickerson boys (the name was redacted in the coroner’s report) said he then went to go wake up Panettiere, who was “sitting crisscross applesauce, face down and unresponsive on the sofa bed.” She was also “purple in color.”

He stated that “it is not uncommon for the decedent to fall asleep in that position” and claimed he twice administered nasal Narcan — an emergency medication used to reverse opioid overdoses — “without success.”

The siblings called 911 just after 1:50 p.m. to report that the “Nashville” star was “not conscious,” “not breathing” and in possible “cardiac or respiratory arrest.”

Panettiere’s on-off boyfriend, Brian Hickerson (pictured together in January 2019), told responding officers he was asleep in the other room when she went into “cardiac arrest.” GC Images
Panettiere openly struggled with addiction, especially after suffering postpartum depression following the December 2014 birth of her daughter (pictured). Hayden Panettiere/X

Brian and Zach then started CPR and continued until emergency medical services arrived.

Responding paramedics tried to resuscitate Panettiere for approximately 30 minutes using “advanced cardiac life support,” but she was not able to regain cardiac activity and was pronounced dead just after 2:30 p.m.

The former child star — who openly struggled with addiction, especially after suffering postpartum depression following the December 2014 birth of her daughter — was honored with a memorial in Malibu, California, last weekend.

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is assisting in GPD’s investigation.

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