DEA Joins Investigation Into Hayden Panettiere’s Death
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 13: Hayden Panettiere attends Los Angeles Premiere Of Netflix's New Film "Blonde" at TCL Chinese Theatre on September 13, 2022 in Hollywood, California. Photo Credit: Jon Kopaloff
by Chris Tremblay Aug 21
3 MIN READ
The Drug Enforcement Administration has joined the investigation into the death of actor Hayden Panettiere, according to sources familiar with the matter cited by ABC News, CNN and The New York Times.
Greenville City Police Department in South Carolina remains the lead investigative agency, with the DEA assisting the local inquiry.
The DEA has not publicly confirmed its participation. TMZ reported that a DEA spokesperson declined to confirm or comment on active investigations.
The agency’s reported involvement does not establish that drugs caused Panettiere’s death or that criminal conduct occurred. Authorities have not announced a final cause or manner of death.
Panettiere, who was 36, died Sunday at a residence or apartment complex in Greenville, South Carolina.
Emergency responders were called to the location for an unresponsive person, and the Greenville County Coroner’s Office said responders found Panettiere in cardiac arrest.
Responders initiated advanced cardiac life-support measures, but resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful, and Panettiere was pronounced dead at the scene at 2:32 p.m., according to the coroner’s office.
An autopsy found no signs of trauma that would have contributed to the death, the coroner’s office said.
The Greenville Police Department said its preliminary investigation had found no indications of foul play or suspicious circumstances.
The coroner’s office said Panettiere’s official cause and manner of death remained pending further investigation and completion of additional studies.
CNN reported that dispatch audio obtained from Broadcastify referenced a possible overdose and CPR in progress.
Authorities have not confirmed that an overdose occurred or identified an overdose as Panettiere’s cause of death.
A Greenville police report said Panettiere was with her on-again, off-again boyfriend Brian Hickerson and his brother, Zack Hickerson, when she died.
According to the report, the officer did not determine whether Panettiere had been using drugs or alcohol at the time of her death.
The report said Brian Hickerson showed police a bag of medication that Panettiere had been taking, while details including the medication list were redacted.
The available reporting does not establish whether any medication was connected to Panettiere’s death.
Panettiere became known for roles in the films “Remember the Titans” and “Ice Princess,” and in the television series “Heroes” and “Nashville.”
She also appeared in the “Scream” film series and other productions during a career that began when she was a child actor.
News coverage of Panettiere’s adult life has included her public discussions of addiction, postpartum depression, trauma, domestic abuse and recovery.
ABC News reported that Panettiere released a memoir titled “This Is Me: A Reckoning” in May.
CNN reported that Panettiere had recently described feeling ready to start over and was pursuing a comeback, with her latest film released in January.
Panettiere is survived by her daughter, Kaya, whom she shared with her former fiancé, Wladimir Klitschko.
Klitschko posted on X that his family was experiencing “a time of profound shock and grief,” according to CNN.
The DEA’s reported participation adds a federal agency to an investigation that remains led by Greenville police.
Officials have not publicly identified what prompted the DEA’s involvement or described the scope of its assistance.
Toxicology and other additional studies are expected to inform the coroner’s eventual determination, but CNN reported that such testing can take weeks to complete.
Until authorities release those findings, reports of a possible overdose remain unconfirmed and should not be treated as the official cause of Panettiere’s death.
The DEA has not publicly confirmed its participation. TMZ reported that a DEA spokesperson declined to confirm or comment on active investigations.
The agency’s reported involvement does not establish that drugs caused Panettiere’s death or that criminal conduct occurred. Authorities have not announced a final cause or manner of death.
What Authorities Have Reported
Panettiere, who was 36, died Sunday at a residence or apartment complex in Greenville, South Carolina.
Emergency responders were called to the location for an unresponsive person, and the Greenville County Coroner’s Office said responders found Panettiere in cardiac arrest.
Responders initiated advanced cardiac life-support measures, but resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful, and Panettiere was pronounced dead at the scene at 2:32 p.m., according to the coroner’s office.
An autopsy found no signs of trauma that would have contributed to the death, the coroner’s office said.
The Greenville Police Department said its preliminary investigation had found no indications of foul play or suspicious circumstances.
The coroner’s office said Panettiere’s official cause and manner of death remained pending further investigation and completion of additional studies.
911 Call and Medication Reports
CNN reported that dispatch audio obtained from Broadcastify referenced a possible overdose and CPR in progress.
Authorities have not confirmed that an overdose occurred or identified an overdose as Panettiere’s cause of death.
A Greenville police report said Panettiere was with her on-again, off-again boyfriend Brian Hickerson and his brother, Zack Hickerson, when she died.
According to the report, the officer did not determine whether Panettiere had been using drugs or alcohol at the time of her death.
The report said Brian Hickerson showed police a bag of medication that Panettiere had been taking, while details including the medication list were redacted.
The available reporting does not establish whether any medication was connected to Panettiere’s death.
Panettiere’s Career and Public Advocacy
Panettiere became known for roles in the films “Remember the Titans” and “Ice Princess,” and in the television series “Heroes” and “Nashville.”
She also appeared in the “Scream” film series and other productions during a career that began when she was a child actor.
News coverage of Panettiere’s adult life has included her public discussions of addiction, postpartum depression, trauma, domestic abuse and recovery.
ABC News reported that Panettiere released a memoir titled “This Is Me: A Reckoning” in May.
CNN reported that Panettiere had recently described feeling ready to start over and was pursuing a comeback, with her latest film released in January.
Panettiere is survived by her daughter, Kaya, whom she shared with her former fiancé, Wladimir Klitschko.
Klitschko posted on X that his family was experiencing “a time of profound shock and grief,” according to CNN.
Investigation Remains Open
The DEA’s reported participation adds a federal agency to an investigation that remains led by Greenville police.
Officials have not publicly identified what prompted the DEA’s involvement or described the scope of its assistance.
Toxicology and other additional studies are expected to inform the coroner’s eventual determination, but CNN reported that such testing can take weeks to complete.
Until authorities release those findings, reports of a possible overdose remain unconfirmed and should not be treated as the official cause of Panettiere’s death.
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