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New Details Emerge as DEA Assists Probe Into Hayden Panettiere’s Death

The Drug Enforcement Administration has been contacted and is assisting authorities investigating the death of actress Hayden Panettiere. According to Fox News , the DEA’s involvement comes as police and the coroner’s…

Andrew PowellAug 21, 20262 min read

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The Drug Enforcement Administration has been contacted and is assisting authorities investigating the death of actress Hayden Panettiere.

According to Fox News, the DEA’s involvement comes as police and the coroner’s office continue separate but related investigations into Panettiere’s death in South Carolina.

TMZ was first to report that DEA agents were assisting with the ongoing work.

Panettiere, 36, was found unresponsive and in cardiac arrest Sunday at an apartment in Greenville, South Carolina. Emergency responders attempted to revive her, but she was pronounced dead.

A preliminary autopsy found no signs of trauma that contributed to her death, according to Fox News Digital. Her official cause and manner of death have not been released.

A police report obtained by Fox News Digital states that Panettiere’s on-and-off boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, and his brother, Zach, called 911 after finding her unresponsive.

Hickerson was among those at the apartment when Panettiere was discovered, according to the report.

Authorities also executed a search warrant at the residence, and Hickerson provided officers with a bag of medication Panettiere had allegedly been taking.

Police later conducted a welfare check Wednesday at a South Carolina residence connected to the Hickerson brothers, but no one answered the door.

Panettiere’s death came after she had spoken openly about addiction and other personal struggles. The actress discussed her history with alcohol and opioids in her memoir, "This Is Me: A Reckoning," and in previous interviews.

In a 2022 interview with People, Panettiere said she was first given "happy pills" at age 15 before interviews and later struggled with substance use as her acting career progressed.

"As I got older, the drugs and alcohol became something I almost couldn’t live without," she said at the time.

Panettiere also recently discussed her decision to have her daughter, Kaya, live with her father, former heavyweight boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko, in Europe while she sought help.

The actress began working as a child, appearing on "One Life to Live" before roles in "Remember the Titans," "Heroes" and "Nashville." Her performance as Juliette Barnes on "Nashville" earned her two Golden Globe nominations.

She was also an animal-rights advocate. In 2007, Panettiere traveled to Taiji, Japan, to protest dolphin hunting, an experience later featured in the documentary "The Cove."

Panettiere had recently recorded a campaign for PETA opposing dolphin captivity. She is survived by her daughter, Kaya.