Hayden Panettiere’s death is taking another unsettling turn as investigators work to piece together what happened during the actress’ final hours.
The 36-year-old actress died suddenly at her South Carolina home, leaving her loved ones and fans searching for answers.
Now, a newly surfaced detail from the emergency response is adding another layer to the circumstances surrounding her death, even as authorities have yet to establish exactly what caused the actress to die.
According to 911 dispatch audio obtained by Page Six, the emergency call involved an “unidentified female” who was in “cardiac arrest.” Within minutes, dispatchers reported that “CPR [was] in progress” as first responders attempted to save the woman’s life.
Law enforcement sources revealed that Hayden Panettiere’s friend called 911 at 1:51 p.m. Emergency responders arrived at her apartment complex and attempted resuscitation using “advanced cardiac life support” and chest compressions. Despite those efforts, Panettiere was pronounced dead at 2:32 p.m.
The dispatch audio reportedly referenced an “overdose.” However, her official cause of death has not yet been established. The Greenville County coroner is expected to perform an autopsy on Monday, which could provide additional information about what happened.
Meanwhile, questions have also emerged over who made the emergency call and whether Hayden Panettiere’s on-again, off-again boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, was present when the tragedy unfolded.
Hickerson was first linked to Panettiere in 2018 and recently admitted to “abusing her.” According to reports, he flew from Los Angeles to South Carolina with the “Heroes” alum on Saturday, just one day before emergency responders were called to her home.
Panettiere’s Final Instagram Post Takes On New Meaning After Her Death
As questions continue to surround Hayden Panettiere’s final hours, attention has also turned to one of the last public glimpses she gave of her life.
Just three weeks before her death, the actress shared a playful black-and-white photograph on Instagram that showed a markedly lighter side of her.
Panettiere posted the image on July 27, appearing to wink and stick out her tongue while photographer and director Randall Slavin wrapped an arm around her.
She captioned the photograph, “Good times and good friends @randallslavin.” Slavin later shared the photograph on his own Instagram Stories after news of Panettiere’s passing broke.
Alongside the image, he wrote, “Peace be with you, H,” while setting the tribute to Olivia Dean’s “Dive.” The post has since become one of the final pieces of Panettiere’s public life available to fans.
Her representative confirmed her death on August 16, describing her as “an incredible light and a force of nature who brought immeasurable love and joy to all who knew her — and to the millions who watched her onscreen.”
Hayden Panettiere Said She Had ‘A Lot More Life To Live’ Before Her Death
Only months before Panettiere died, she was speaking about her future with a sense of possibility that now feels especially heartbreaking.
During a May interview, the “Heroes” actress discussed her recovery and the changes she had made in her life while promoting “This Is Me: A Reckoning.”
Panettiere spoke candidly about the difficult experiences that had shaped her, but her focus was not solely on what had already happened.
According to The Sun, she also talked about what she believed was still ahead of her. During the conversation, the 36-year-old said she felt like she had “a lot more life to live.”
Panettiere had been increasingly open about her struggles with addiction, postpartum depression and mental health, particularly while discussing her memoir. Yet she described herself as being in a different place and thinking about the possibilities that remained.
Panettiere’s Daughter Kaya Remained Central To Her Life
Hayden Panettiere’s relationship with her daughter, Kaya, was another part of her life that she spoke about with striking honesty during the months before her death.
The Hollywood star shared Kaya with former fiancé Wladimir Klitschko, and she had previously made the difficult decision to give him full custody while she was dealing with addiction and recovery.
Despite living apart from her daughter, however, Panettiere consistently maintained that their relationship remained deeply important to her.
In her memoir, she described their bond as “incredibly strong” and wrote about how painful it was not to have Kaya living under the same roof.
“Not being under the same roof with her every day has been the most gut-wrenching experience of my life,” she explained per PEOPLE.
Panettiere also made clear that she did not want Kaya’s childhood to become part of the public spectacle surrounding her own life.
“She didn’t ask to be born into the limelight or my chaos, and she didn’t get to choose her parents,” the doting mom wrote, adding. “I want her to have every choice that I didn’t, including the ability to live a private life.”
Hayden Panettiere Hoped Her Story Would ‘Leave The World A Better Place’
The memoir that became one of Panettiere’s most revealing projects was also tied to the actress’ belief that speaking honestly about her struggles could have an impact beyond her own life.
While promoting “This Is Me: A Reckoning,” Panettiere recalled hearing from people who had connected with her openness about mental health and felt encouraged to confront their own struggles.
“So many people have come up to me within the industry and outside of the industry and shared their stories with me and said, ‘Because you’ve talked about your mental health, it gave me the courage to be honest about mine and get myself help, and you saved my life,’” she said during a May 26 book event in Los Angeles.
For Panettiere, those reactions made the vulnerability involved in writing the memoir feel worthwhile. “And I was like, this is worth it,” she revealed. “I can hopefully leave the world a better place than I found it,” she added. “The strength is in our vulnerability.”
That outlook was also reflected in the way she described her life in the memoir. Rather than seeing her addiction, grief, postpartum depression and other painful experiences as the final definition of who she was, Panettiere viewed them as part of an ongoing process of change.
