Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies went to Hayden Panettiere’s West Hollywood residence for a welfare check exactly one week before the actress died from an accidental drug overdose in South Carolina.
The response came around 10 p.m. on August 9 after someone reported concern that a woman at the residence was not answering her phone. Us Weekly, which obtained the heavily redacted Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department call report, said the document did not identify Panettiere by name but that a source familiar with the situation confirmed the welfare check involved the Nashville actress.
TMZ separately confirmed the response with law-enforcement sources. Deputies were told the person had been sick and was not feeling well, and TMZ reports that officers made contact with her, she said she was OK and the call was ultimately cleared without a formal crime report.
Seven days later, Panettiere was found unresponsive at a residence where she was temporarily staying in Greenville, South Carolina. The 36-year-old’s death has since been ruled an accident caused by the toxic effects of fentanyl and several other drugs, while investigators continue examining the circumstances surrounding how she obtained the substances involved.
The Aug. 9 Call Report Says She Was Not Answering Her Phone
The newly obtained sheriff’s record describes the reason for the welfare check narrowly. According to Us Weekly, the caller was concerned that an unidentified woman at the West Hollywood address was “not answering the phone,” and deputies were dispatched to the property at approximately 10 p.m.
When they arrived, the record says they were told the person had been sick throughout the day and did not feel well. TMZ’s law-enforcement sources said deputies spoke with her and that she indicated she was OK despite feeling ill.
TMZ described the outcome as a “log clearance,” meaning the deputies documented the response but closed the call because they did not identify a crime requiring a formal incident report.
Us also quoted an unnamed source saying Panettiere had become unresponsive to multiple people in her circle, but that detail comes from the source, not the redacted sheriff’s record itself.
Panettiere Was Found Unresponsive in South Carolina Seven Days Later
On August 16, a 911 call was placed at approximately 1:51 p.m. reporting a cardiac arrest at the Greenville residence where Panettiere was temporarily staying. The Greenville County Coroner’s Office said first responders found her in cardiac arrest and began advanced life-support measures.
Those efforts were unsuccessful, and Panettiere was pronounced dead at 2:32 p.m. The initial autopsy found no trauma that contributed to her death, leaving the official cause pending toxicology and additional investigation at the time.
The final findings were released September 22. The Associated Press reported that the coroner determined Panettiere died from the toxic effects of fentanyl, 4-ANPP, alprazolam, methocarbamol and quetiapine and classified the manner of death as accidental.
CBS News, citing the police report, said Brian Hickerson and his brother were at the residence when first responders arrived. Greenville police said its investigation remained active even after the coroner completed its death investigation.
Federal Agents Are Still Investigating Where the Drugs Came From
The accidental-overdose ruling answered the medical question of how Panettiere died, but authorities have continued examining the source of the drugs. The Los Angeles Times reported that federal investigators were focusing their inquiry in Los Angeles and looking into whether Panettiere obtained nonprescription pills from a local dealer.
Drug Enforcement Administration agents had already searched her West Hollywood residence on August 25, nine days after her death. TMZ reported that investigators were looking for evidence connected to black-market controlled substances, medications and drug paraphernalia that could help identify where the drugs had originated.
Investigators have also examined a theory that Panettiere may have taken what she believed was oxycodone that contained fentanyl. The Los Angeles Times reported that federal authorities were exploring that possibility, but the completed toxicology findings do not establish that a specific counterfeit pill was the source of the fentanyl or publicly identify a supplier. Greenville police said that detectives would continue following leads and gathering information.
She Had Spoken Publicly About Addiction and Recovery Months Earlier
Panettiere had discussed addiction and recovery openly before her death, including while promoting her memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, which Grand Central Publishing released in May.
The publisher describes the book as addressing addiction, recovery, trauma, postpartum depression and other experiences from her life. She also appeared on CBS Mornings during the book’s release.
CBS’s official May 18 guest listing identifies Panettiere as appearing to discuss the memoir, and the network later described the interview as covering her childhood fame, postpartum depression and healing journey. In that interview, Panettiere said she was still working on herself and described herself as healthier than she had been in a long time.