A newly obtained 911 call is shedding light on the moments before actress Hayden Panettiere was pronounced dead at her Greenville, South Carolina, home on Aug. 16. According to CBS News, Panettiere was found unconscious that afternoon by Brian Hickerson and his brother, Zach Hickerson, who had come by after church. The actress, 36, was declared dead at the scene despite advanced cardiac life support measures. Authorities later ruled her death accidental after an autopsy listed the toxic effects of multiple drugs, including fentanyl and alprazolam.
Zach Hickerson Begins CPR on the Call
The emergency audio details Zach Hickerson telling the dispatcher that Panettiere did not appear to be breathing. The operator asked whether there was a defibrillator available in the apartment building, but he said he did not know. He was then instructed to begin CPR immediately. The dispatcher walked him through chest compressions and mouth-to-mouth steps while emergency crews were on the way. The call adds a clearer timeline to what happened inside the home and shows how quickly those with her tried to respond before first responders arrived.
Coroner Lists Multiple Drugs in Autopsy
The Greenville County Coroner’s Office said Panettiere was pronounced dead at the scene after emergency personnel attempted life-saving treatment. An autopsy later determined that her death was accidental. The cause was listed as the toxic effects of fentanyl, 4-ANPP, alprazolam, methocarbamol and quetiapine. Those findings gave the public its first official explanation of what led to her death. The new reporting around the emergency call does not change that ruling, but it adds detail to the efforts made in the apartment before paramedics took over.
Hayden Panettiere Spoke Openly About Addiction
Actor Hayden Panettiere had spoken publicly in recent years about substance abuse and recovery. She said she became addicted to opioids and alcohol as a teenager and later wrote about addiction, postpartum depression, physical abuse and recovery in her 2026 memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning. In a May interview, she explained why she wanted to tell her story. "I really wanted to share with the world that they don't have to be afraid. That they can live their truth. They can be imperfect," she said according to CBS News.
Gayle King Interview Framed Her Recovery Journey
That same interview offered a picture of where Panettiere believed she was in her recovery. Asked how she was doing, she answered with caution but also optimism. "Still working on myself all the time. I had a great therapist and I'm — I'm better, healthier than I've been in a long time," she told CBS News. Her career stretched from childhood roles in Remember the Titans to major TV parts in Heroes and Nashville. The emergency call now stands as one more painful piece of a story she had tried to turn into hope for others.
