The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has joined the investigation into the death of actress Hayden Panettiere, who died Sunday at a South Carolina Airbnb. 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 36-year-old actress's death, which is believed to be the result of an overdose.
Paramedics responded to a call regarding a victim in "cardiac arrest" and performed CPR for an "overdose," according to a 911 dispatch call obtained by Page Six. Emergency responders attempted to resuscitate Panettiere with advanced cardiac life support, but she was pronounced dead at 2:32 p.m. local time.
According to a police report, Panettiere was with her on-again, off-again boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, and his brother, Zach Hickerson, at the apartment. Brian Hickerson reportedly showed officers a "bag of medication" the actress had been taking. Unidentified substances were present.
TMZ previously reported that a device used to dispense Narcan, a drug that reverses overdoses, was found on a mattress near where Panettiere died. It remains unclear if the medication was administered to her.
Panettiere's hairdresser and friend, Erick Orellana, told Page Six that the actress had been suffering from intense back pain in the months leading up to her death. She was photographed in March using crutches to get around.
Panettiere had previously spoken about her struggles with addiction, telling People in 2022 that she "couldn’t live without" alcohol and opioids at one point. In 2018, she relinquished custody of her then-7-year-old daughter, Kaya, to her ex-fiancé, Wladimir Klitschko, due to substance abuse and postpartum depression. Klitschko took Kaya to live in Ukraine.
Panettiere and Klitschko had reportedly been planning for her to visit Kaya abroad in the coming weeks. Panettiere's autopsy revealed no "signs of trauma."
Panettiere and Hickerson had flown from California to South Carolina the day before her death. The couple's relationship has been ongoing since 2018, and they reportedly reconnected weeks before her passing. An insider described Hickerson, who has faced multiple domestic violence arrests related to Panettiere, as "a real jerk" who "would always find a way to work his way back into Hayden’s life as ‘a friend.'"