What we know about Hayden Panettiere’s sudden death and who was with her

Hayden Panettiere Found Dead in South Carolina Apartment at Age 36

Activelifezero.com – The actress whose career began before her first birthday and who spent her twenties battling addiction, postpartum depression, and mental-health crises was pronounced dead on a Sunday afternoon in Greenville, South Carolina. Panettiere, 36, had been in the midst of a hard-won professional resurgence — her most recent film hit theaters in January, and she had spent the past year speaking openly about personal losses, including the death of her brother. The suddenness of her passing sent shockwaves through the entertainment world and beyond.

Greenville police and the county coroner’s office confirmed that emergency crews responded to a 911 call describing a “reported cardiac arrest” at approximately 1:51 p.m. Sunday. The call originated from the Judson Mill Lofts apartment complex on Easley Bridge Road. First responders arrived to find Panettiere in cardiac arrest and attempted resuscitation on site. She was declared dead at 2:32 p.m., according to the coroner’s office.

Dispatch audio obtained through Broadcastify.com referenced a possible overdose and ongoing CPR, though authorities have not confirmed whether an overdose was in fact involved. The coroner’s office stated that Panettiere, a California resident, “had been temporarily staying” at the apartment complex. Officials did not identify who held the lease on the unit.

Who Was Present at the Scene

A Greenville police officer arrived after the call and spoke with two men at the residence: brothers Brian and Zach Hickerson. According to a police report, Zach Hickerson told the officer the deceased was his brother’s girlfriend. Brian Hickerson presented the officer with a bag containing Panettiere’s medications, though the report’s medication list has been redacted. CNN reached out to both Hickerson brothers for comment.

The father of Panettiere’s child was described as being in “profound shock and grief” following the news.

What the Autopsy Revealed — and What Remains Unknown

An autopsy conducted on Monday found no external trauma that could have contributed to her death, the coroner’s office reported. The official cause and manner of death have not yet been determined. Toxicology results, which are standard in death investigations of this nature, typically require several weeks to complete. Until those results arrive, the precise circumstances surrounding Panettiere’s final hours remain unresolved.

A Memoir That Laid Bare Years of Domestic Violence

Less than three months before her death, Panettiere published a candid memoir in which she recounted a relationship that began with excitement and escalated into years of physical abuse. She referred to her abuser only as “Brian” — a name that matches the Hickerson brother identified at the Greenville scene.

In the book, she described heated arguments, often fueled by alcohol, that ended with slaps and blows delivered amid screaming. She wrote:

“One night he busts up my face so badly I don’t leave the house for weeks.”

She added a line that has since been widely shared:

“You never forget the first time someone slaps you. Nor do you forget the last.”

The memoir detailed at least three separate occasions on which “Brian” was arrested after striking her during a fight. One incident occurred on Valentine’s Day in 2020, while the couple was on vacation in Wyoming.

Court Records and the Boyfriend’s Own Words

Records from the Superior Court of Los Angeles County Clerk’s Office show that in 2019, a Brian Hickerson was convicted on two felony counts of “Injuring a Spouse, Cohabitant, Fiance’s, Boyfriend, Girlfriend or Child’s Parent” and received a sentence of four years of formal probation.

In May 2026, Brian Hickerson gave an interview to TMZ in which he acknowledged having read Panettiere’s then-newly released book. He conceded that on February 14, 2020, he “had a lot to drink and I got physical with (Panettiere) and I got arrested.” Describing the passages of the memoir that detailed the abuse, he said:

“My chapter. Everybody should read it.”

Family Grief and a Complicated Bond

Lesley Vogel, Panettiere’s mother, spoke through tears to NBC News on Tuesday after the death was confirmed:

“I just feel that she’s with her brother and they’re at peace.”

The remark carried particular weight given that Panettiere had told Jay Shetty on his “On Purpose” podcast earlier this year that she felt there was no real relationship between herself and her mother. The actress had also spoken publicly about the loss of her brother, making her mother’s words about reunion in death all the more poignant.

Context: A Career Interrupted and Reclaimed

Panettiere rose to global recognition as a child performer, landing the role of an indestructible cheerleader on NBC’s sci-fi drama “Heroes” in the mid-2000s. That early fame, however, gave way to a turbulent young adulthood marked by substance dependence, postpartum depression, and mental-health struggles that temporarily derailed her work. Her decision to publish the memoir and to discuss her brother’s death publicly signaled a deliberate attempt to reclaim narrative control over her own story. The January film release suggested that professional momentum was returning. That momentum ended abruptly on a Sunday afternoon in Greenville, leaving fans, colleagues, and family members searching for answers that toxicology labs may not deliver for weeks.