On a Sunday afternoon in Greenville, South Carolina, actress Hayden Panettiere — a figure who had spent her life in the public eye while quietly carrying private burdens — was found unresponsive at 36, her death declared at 2:31 p.m. with no immediate explanation. She had only recently begun to speak openly about decades of addiction, abuse, and grief, publishing a memoir just months before her passing. The circumstances remain under investigation, a reminder that the stories people share publicly are rarely the whole of what they carry.
Police Report: Panettiere's On-and-Off Boyfriend Present When Actress Found Unresponsive
Hayden Panettiere, 36-year-old actress, found dead in apartment; death circumstances under investigation with cause pending.
Still working on myself all the time. I'm better, healthier than I've been.
Mark
Why does it matter that both Hickerson brothers were there when she was found?
Mimi
Because it establishes who was present, who called for help, and what the immediate circumstances looked like. It's not accusatory—it's just the factual baseline of the scene.
Mark
The report mentions her medication in a bag. Is that significant?
Mimi
It could be. It tells us she was managing something medically, and that Brian knew what she was taking. But the actual medications are redacted, so we don't know what we're looking at yet. That's what the autopsy will help clarify.
Mark
She had just published a memoir about her struggles. Does that context matter here?
Mimi
It matters because it shows she was in a process of reckoning and recovery. She was speaking publicly about addiction, abuse, and mental health. Whether that directly relates to her death is what investigators are trying to determine.
Mark
The report says there were no obvious physical signs of trauma. What does that suggest?
Mimi
It suggests the cause wasn't immediately visible—no injuries, no obvious violence. It points toward something internal, medical, or related to substances. But "suggests" is all we can do right now. The autopsy will tell the actual story.
Mark
How long will people have to wait for answers?
Mimi
Up to eight weeks for the full toxicology and autopsy results. That's a long time for people who knew her, and for the public trying to understand what happened.
Der Puls
- A 911 call from Brian Hickerson — a man with multiple abuse allegations against him — set off a desperate scene in which paramedics performed CPR on Panettiere for an extended period before she was pronounced dead.
- The presence of Hickerson and his brother, the redacted medication details in the police report, and the contrast in the two men's emotional responses have left investigators and the public with more questions than answers.
- Panettiere had just months earlier told CBS News she was healthier than she had been in years, making the sudden loss feel especially dissonant against the backdrop of her hard-won openness.
- Authorities executed a search warrant and completed an autopsy, but toxicology results — the most likely key to understanding what happened — may not return for up to eight weeks.
- The entertainment world is absorbing the loss of a career that spanned over three decades, from child actor to Golden Globe-nominated lead, now shadowed by the unresolved circumstances of her death.
On a Sunday afternoon in Greenville, South Carolina, actress Hayden Panettiere — a figure who had spent her life in the public eye while quietly carrying private burdens — was found unresponsive at 36, her death declared at 2:31 p.m. with no immediate explanation. She had only recently begun to speak openly about decades of addiction, abuse, and grief, publishing a memoir just months before her passing. The circumstances remain under investigation, a reminder that the stories people share publicly are rarely the whole of what they carry.
On a Sunday afternoon in Greenville, South Carolina, Brian Hickerson and his brother Zach called 911 to report that Hayden Panettiere was unresponsive in an apartment. When officers arrived, paramedics were already attempting to revive her. The responding officer noted no obvious physical signs to explain her condition. She was pronounced dead at 2:31 p.m. At some point during the response, Brian Hickerson produced a bag of medications Panettiere had been taking — the specifics redacted from the police report. Zach grew visibly emotional as paramedics worked; Brian remained composed until the moment she was officially declared dead.
Panettiere, 36, had been in an on-and-off relationship with Hickerson for years, one marked by documented turbulence — he had faced multiple arrests on abuse allegations. Security footage confirmed the three had been moving in and out of the unit together. Police said a preliminary investigation found no signs of foul play, and a search warrant was executed at the apartment.
Her career had stretched across more than three decades — from a child actor in films like "Remember the Titans," to a teenage breakout on NBC's "Heroes," to Golden Globe-nominated work on "Nashville" and appearances in the "Scream" franchise. But behind that arc of public success were struggles she had only recently begun to name. Her memoir, published just three months before her death, detailed long battles with opioid and alcohol addiction, postpartum depression, and the abuse she had endured. In May, speaking with CBS News, she said she was healthier than she had been in years and hoped her story could help others live their truth without fear.
She had also been grieving the 2023 death of her brother Jansen, who died at 28 from a heart condition. An autopsy was completed by Monday, but the cause and manner of death remain pending, with toxicology results potentially weeks away. The full story of what happened in that apartment has not yet been told.
The call came in on a Sunday afternoon in Greenville, South Carolina. Brian Hickerson and his brother Zach dialed 911 to report that Hayden Panettiere, the actress best known for her role in "Heroes," was unresponsive in an apartment. When police arrived, firefighters and paramedics were already performing CPR. Officer Matthew Bryan noted in his report that Panettiere showed no obvious physical signs that would explain her condition. EMS continued life-saving efforts for an extended period before declaring her dead at 2:31 p.m.
Panettiere, 36, had been in an on-and-off relationship with Hickerson for years—a partnership marked by documented turbulence. According to her recently published memoir and media reports, Hickerson had been arrested multiple times on allegations of abuse. Yet he was present in the apartment when she was found, and his brother was with him. Zach Hickerson told the officer that Panettiere was Brian's girlfriend. Security footage from the building captured the three of them moving in and out of the unit.
The scene itself offered few immediate clues. As Bryan documented his observations, he noted that Zach Hickerson became visibly emotional as paramedics worked. Brian Hickerson's demeanor was different—he remained composed until EMS officially pronounced Panettiere dead, at which point he showed emotion. At some point during the response, Brian Hickerson produced a bag of medication that Panettiere had been taking. The specific medications were redacted from the police report.
Panettiere's death sent shockwaves through the entertainment industry and beyond. Her career had spanned more than three decades. She began as a child actor in films like "Remember the Titans," then became a household name as a teenager on the NBC drama "Heroes." She later appeared in the "Scream" horror franchise and led the television series "Nashville," earning two Golden Globe nominations along the way.
But her public success masked private struggles that she had begun to speak about openly. In interviews and in her memoir "This Is Me: A Reckoning," published just three months before her death, Panettiere detailed her long battle with opioid and alcohol addiction that started in her teens. She wrote about postpartum depression following the birth of her daughter in 2015. She described the physical abuse she endured. In May, speaking with CBS News' Gayle King, she said she hoped her story could help others understand they didn't have to be afraid to live their truth, even imperfectly. "Still working on myself all the time," she told King. "I had a great therapist and I'm better, healthier than I've been in a long time."
The previous year had brought additional loss. Her brother Jansen died at 28 from a heart condition in 2023, a grief she was still processing.
Now, with Panettiere dead, investigators moved quickly. Police said a preliminary investigation had found no signs of foul play or suspicious circumstances. A search warrant was executed at the apartment. An autopsy was completed by Monday, but the Greenville County Coroner's Office said the cause and manner of death would remain pending—results from toxicology and other tests could take up to eight weeks to return. Until then, the question of what happened in that apartment would remain unanswered.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
I really wanted to share with the world that they don't have to be afraid. That they can live their truth. They can be imperfect.— Hayden Panettiere, speaking to CBS News' Gayle King in May about her memoir
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