Reports: DEA joins investigation into Hayden Panettiere’s death

By Diego Mendoza, Holly Yan, CNN

(CNN) — The federal Drug Enforcement Administration has joined the investigation into the death of actress Hayden Panettiere, the New York Times and ABC News reported, citing sources familiar with the matter.

Panettiere, 36, was found unresponsive Sunday at an apartment in Greenville, South Carolina. Medics found her in cardiac arrest after responding to a 911 call from her boyfriend Brian Hickerson and his brother, according to authorities.

Her boyfriend’s brother, Zach Hickerson, said they had tried waking her up from a nap in the living room when they noticed she was unconscious, he told TMZ in a statement.

“I immediately called 911 and Brian gave her Narcan. We then jointly performed CPR while 911 was on speaker until Fire and EMS arrived,” he said. “At that point we watched as they tried every measure possible to save her life.”

The onetime child star had spoken openly about navigating addiction and postpartum depression in her adult life, documenting those struggles as well as the painful loss of her brother in a memoir released this year.

While authorities have not addressed whether Panettiere overdosed Sunday, a possible overdose and CPR in progress are referenced in dispatch audio obtained from Broadcastify.com. Efforts to resuscitate her failed and she was pronounced dead at the scene at 2:32 p.m., the coroner’s office said.

Panettiere’s representative told CNN on Friday: “There’s nothing to be shared at this time as the investigation is ongoing but we are hopeful that justice will be served.”

Panettiere’s boyfriend showed responding officers a bag of her medications, according to a police report, which was heavily redacted.

CNN has reached out to the DEA and representatives for Panettiere for comment on drug enforcement agents joining the investigation.

The Greenville Police Department said it is responding to Panettiere’s case in the same manner as all other death investigations and will not be participating in media interviews.

“The Police Department works with the Coroner’s Office, receives its findings, reviews the facts and evidence, and then decides if a criminal investigation is warranted,” authorities wrote in a statement Thursday. “There were no signs of foul play during the initial response and investigation.”

No cause or manner of death has been determined, pending the results of additional testing. Toxicology tests, which are standard in many death investigations, could take weeks to complete.

An autopsy performed Monday revealed no signs of trauma that would have contributed to her death, the coroner’s office said.

“Hayden’s death remains under investigation and it is important to allow that investigation to proceed,” Ellis Hinton, the law firm representing Hickerson, said in its first statement to CNN.

“As has been publicly reported, police confirmed there were no signs of foul play. Out of respect for Hayden’s loved ones and the ongoing investigation, there will be no further comment at this time.”

CNN has reached out to Brian Hickerson and his brother Zach for comment.

Panettiere’s sudden death sent waves of grief from Hollywood to Ukraine, where the father of their child mourned the beloved actress and activist who battled a host of struggles.

“Our family is going through a time of profound shock and grief,” Wladimir Klitschko, her ex-partner and a former world heavyweight boxing champion from Ukraine, posted Tuesday on X. “She built an incredible career through immense talent, while also facing the darker sides of a very demanding industry.”

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CNN’s Julianna Bragg, Jason Morris, Dianne Gallagher and Elizabeth Wagmeister contributed to this report.