The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has joined the investigation into the death of actress Hayden Panettiere, who was found unresponsive in an apartment in Greenville, South Carolina, on August 19, 2026. She was 36 years old, and resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful. Preliminary autopsy results indicated no signs of trauma contributing to her death, as confirmed by Fox News Digital.
A police report revealed that Panettiere's on-and-off boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, and his brother, Zach, called 911 after discovering her unresponsive. Hickerson provided authorities with a bag of medication that Panettiere had reportedly been taking. Authorities executed a search warrant at the apartment and conducted a welfare check at a home linked to the Hickerson brothers, but no one was present.
Panettiere had recently spoken about her struggles with addiction and the decisions she made while seeking help. She began her acting career as a child and gained recognition for her roles in "Remember the Titans" and the TV series "Heroes" and "Nashville." In a 2022 interview, she discussed her history with alcohol and opioids, stating that substance use became a significant part of her life as her career progressed.
In her memoir, "This Is Me: A Reckoning," Panettiere addressed her struggles and her decision to allow her daughter, Kaya, to live with her father, Wladimir Klitschko, in Europe for her well-being. Just weeks before her death, she recorded a campaign for PETA advocating against the captivity of marine mammals. Panettiere is survived by her daughter, Kaya.