The Greenville County Coroner has officially stated that the death of 36-year-old actress Hayden Panettiere was an accident. The cause was identified as the toxic effects of fentanyl and other substances. Jonathan Hunt, a chief correspondent for Fox News, reported from Los Angeles about her sudden passing in South Carolina.
The final moments of Panettiere’s life were captured in a 911 call. Zach Hickerson, brother of her on-and-off boyfriend, made a frantic attempt to revive the actress after he found her unconscious at a South Carolina apartment on August 16.
“Oh, God, oh, my God – you do like CPR or something?”
Zach Hickerson asked the dispatcher while performing CPR. Brian Hickerson administered Narcan during this attempt to save her life. The seven-minute emergency call, obtained by ABC News and CBS News, details how they tried to revive Panettiere. She was found unresponsive at a Greenville residence.
According to Zach, he found Panettiere and his brother upon arriving back from church. He shared with the 911 operator that his brother’s girlfriend was unconscious.
The dispatcher asked if she was breathing.
“No, I don’t think so,”
Zach replied, after which he was instructed to perform CPR while emergency services rushed to the scene.
The dispatcher advised,
“OK, we need to start CPR. I’m going to tell you how to do CPR, OK?”
The operator guided Zach through chest compressions and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation as they performed CPR until first responders arrived.
Unfortunately, Panettiere was pronounced dead at 2:32 PM. The coroner’s report identified fentanyl, 4-ANPP, alprazolam, methocarbamol, and quetiapine as the substances involved. The death was ruled an accident.
Christina Dugan Ramirez, an entertainment journalist with over 15 years of experience, reported the involvement of the Drug Enforcement Administration in the ongoing investigation.