New details are surfacing about the final weeks of Hayden Panettiere’s life. Police responded to a welfare check at her West Hollywood apartment on August 9, one week before she was found dead in a South Carolina Airbnb on August 16 at the age of 36. According to reporting, she had become unresponsive to many people in her circle and there was concern. Her on-again, off-again boyfriend Brian Hickerson allegedly answered the door and told officers she was sick.
Her death was ruled an accident by the Greenville County Coroner, caused by the toxic effects of fentanyl, 4-ANPP, alprazolam, methocarbamol, and quetiapine. Deputies had responded to her Los Angeles home two other times in 2025, on August 4 and September 8, and Hickerson was arrested twice in August on suspicion of being under the influence. A friend also shared that after being hospitalized a week before her passing, Panettiere said Brian had taken her phone.
The investigation into her death and the source of the drugs remains open and active. For anyone who grew up watching her on Heroes and Nashville, the details of her final weeks are hard to read. What do you think could have been done differently for someone who clearly had people worried about her?
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Local Lawton
Local Lawton is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.