Hayden Panettiere: LA Police Conducted Welfare Check a Week Before Actress's Death
A Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department report indicates that authorities were called to the West Hollywood apartment of actress Hayden Panettiere following concerns about her unresponsiveness.
Los Angeles authorities conducted a welfare check at Hayden Panettiere's West Hollywood apartment approximately one week before her death in August. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department report, reviewed by Us Weekly, stated the check was initiated after a woman residing at the property had become unresponsive to calls.
While the report was redacted and did not explicitly name Panettiere, a source close to the situation confirmed to Us Weekly that the call was made with the actress in mind. "She had become unresponsive to many people in her circle and there was concern," the source told the publication, adding that friends were worried Panettiere "was not answering the phone."
The caller contacted 911 on August 9, a week before Panettiere, 36, died at a residence in South Carolina. Her on-again, off-again boyfriend Brian Hickerson and his brother Zach Hickerson were present at the time of her death. According to the report, the individual at the apartment told officials she had been "sick all day and did not feel good."
An insider told Us Weekly that Brian Hickerson answered the door at the Southern California home. Panettiere had reportedly informed a friend who visited that Hickerson had taken her phone after she had been hospitalized the week prior to her passing. Authorities noted that no further calls were made to the residence.
The report also indicated that sheriff's deputies had been called to the Los Angeles residence twice in the preceding year. On August 4, 2025, deputies responded to an "ongoing issue" involving a man attempting to enter the home. Authorities advised the caller to change their locks and report any return of the individual. Later that same day, the man was reportedly seen around the complex, and police were informed he had "moved out temporarily" due to a remodeling project, with suggestions to explore a "letter of agency" option to handle trespassers.
On September 8, 2025, deputies were again summoned to the home regarding an "ongoing issue" with an unidentified man lingering near the garage area and refusing to leave. Deputies later spoke with a man and a woman, after which the individual causing the disturbance "grabbed some belongings then left."
These details emerged more than six weeks after reports surfaced that signs had been placed around the complex advising residents to contact authorities if Brian Hickerson was seen on the premises.
Panettiere's cause of death was officially ruled as toxic effects of fentanyl, 4-ANPP, Alprazolam, Methocarbamol, and Quetiapine, with the manner of death determined to be accidental by the Greenville County Coroner's Office. Brian Hickerson provided police with a "bag of medication" belonging to Panettiere when they responded to the South Carolina home. Hickerson's lawyer, Sloan Ellis, stated in an August 20 announcement that the investigation into Panettiere's death is ongoing and that police confirmed there were no signs of foul play.