Hayden Panettiere was found unresponsive at a residence in South Carolina on August 16, prompting an investigation into her death. Authorities reported that her on-and-off boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, was present at the scene and provided officers with a bag containing medications that Panettiere had been prescribed. The specific names of the medications have been redacted from the police report, leaving their identities undisclosed.
At the time of her passing, Panettiere was 36 years old. Initial findings from the police investigation indicated no signs of foul play or suspicious circumstances. However, the official cause and manner of death are still pending as further testing is conducted.
What did police find at Hayden Panettiere’s home?
The brothers called 911, and emergency workers tried to revive her. Panettiere was found in cardiac arrest at about 1:51pm on August 16, according to the Greenville Police Department and coroner’s office. She was pronounced dead at 2:32pm.
Brian Hickerson and his brother Zach Hickerson were at the Greenville, South Carolina, residence when Panettiere was found unresponsive, according to the police report obtained by Fox News Digital . PEOPLE reported that dispatch audio around the emergency included officials discussing an “overdose” and “cardiac arrest. The Greenville County Coroner’s Office said an autopsy found “no signs of trauma” that would have contributed to her death. Narcan, a medicine used to reverse an opioid overdose, was also reportedly found at the scene, according to PEOPLE. The coroner’s office has said the cause and manner of death remain pending further investigation and additional studies.
That does not establish an official cause of death. Emergency medical workers started advanced cardiac life support, but the efforts were unsuccessful. Its presence alone does not confirm that an opioid caused Panettiere’s death. Toxicology testing is expected to provide more information. Until those results are available, claims about a specific drug or overdose remain unconfirmed. Hickerson has not been accused of being involved in Panettiere’s death. The police report records his presence at the home and his handover of the medication bag, but it does not establish that he caused or contributed to her death.
