AMERICA—At about 1:55 p.m. on August 16, officers from the Greenville City Police Department and Emergency Medical personnel responded to a report that a woman needed medical assistance at an apartment unit in the Judson Mill Loft at 701 Easley Bridge Road. The woman was actress Hayden Panettiere, 36, of California. Although medical assistance was provided, she died at the scene. On September 22, the Greenville County Coroner’s Office announced that it had determined the cause of her death.
Her death was an accident. It occurred after Panettiere consumed several drugs. These included quetiapine, an antipsychotic medication also known as Seroquel, and alprazolam, used to treat anxiety and known as Xanax. Another drug found in her system was methocarbamol, a prescription muscle relaxant also known as Robaxin. The final drug was 4-anilino-N-phenethylpiperidine, or 4-ANPP, a precursor used to produce fentanyl. The autopsy also found no signs of trauma to her body.
According to the GPD’s incident report, Panettiere lived in apartment 1209. Her death was witnessed by Brian Hickerson, her on-and-off boyfriend, and his brother, Zach Hickerson. Firefighters also responded to the call, which was placed by an acquaintance of Panettiere, and assisted EMS personnel. Brian became emotional after her death, and Zach was emotional while EMS personnel were treating her. Panettiere died around 2:30 p.m. on August 16, 2026. Afterward, officers escorted the two men into a hallway to speak with them, and Brian showed a bag containing medicine he claimed Hayden had been using.
On September 22, the GPD announced that the coroner’s investigation had concluded, but the police officers are continuing their investigation into Panettiere’s death. Although the police are the lead investigators, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is also participating in the investigation. No further information has been released to the public, including the amount of drugs Panettiere took before she died or how she obtained them.
Hayden Panettiere was staying at the South Carolina residence after being released from a rehabilitation center. She also owned a residence in West Hollywood. On September 19, a memorial was held for her in Malibu.
Panettiere is best known for playing Claire Bennet in the NBC TV show “Heroes,” as well as Jennifer Harwood in the 2005 film “Ice Princess” and Dot in the Pixar film “A Bug’s Life.” She also portrayed Sarah Roberts on the soap opera “One Life to Live” from 1994 to 1997 and played Lizzi Spaulding on “Guiding Light” from 1996 to 2000. She also played Juliette Barnes in the TV series “Nashville.” Her memoir, “This Is Me: A Reckoning”, was published on May 19, 2026.
She is survived by her daughter, Kaya, born in 2014. Kaya is the product of her mother’s relationship with former world wrestling champion Wladimir Klitschko. Panettiere relinquished custody of her daughter in 2018, after the relationship ended, as she was struggling with addiction and postpartum depression. Panettiere’s mother is the actress Lesley R. Vogel. Panettiere’s brother, actor Jansen Rane Panettiere, died on February 19, 2023, from complications related to an enlarged heart and aortic valve issues.
That same year, she began dating actor Brian Hickerson, who became her on-and-off romantic partner. In 2019, police arrested him following an alleged altercation between them. The case was dismissed. Hickerson was arrested twice in 2020 for alleged domestic violence, and a year later he pleaded no contest to two counts of injuring a girlfirend/wife.
