<p id=”par-1_72″>Earlier this week, news of<a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/news/hayden-panettiere-felt-soul-dead-giving-birth.html/”> Hayden Panettiere’s death</a>, just months after she offered a raw look into her turbulent life in her memoir, shocked Hollywood. While fans and co-stars continue to mourn the loss of the 36-year-old actor, the investigation into her death is heating up. Hours ago, the investigation took a serious turn. Local police have accepted assistance from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. Here is everything we know so far.</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-the-dea-joins-the-investigation-into-hayden-panettiere-s-death”>The DEA joins the investigation into Hayden Panettiere’s death</h2>
<p id=”par-2_58″>The investigation into Hayden Panettiere’s death has entered its fourth day, and with it comes a big development. According to <a href=”https://abcnews.com/US/drug-enforcement-administration-joins-probe-hayden-panettieres-death/story?id=135790227″ target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>ABC News</a>, the DEA has been called in to assist Greenville Police as they continue to look into the actor’s suspected overdose death. The Greenville Police Department remains the lead agency, with the DEA in a supporting role.</p>
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<p id=”par-3_59″>An autopsy performed the day after her death found no signs of trauma, but the coroner’s office has said the official cause and manner of death remain pending further testing, including toxicology results, which can take weeks. The DEA is reportedly working with the county coroner on the case, too. It is unclear if that will help expedite results.</p>
<p id=”par-4_43″>Interestingly, the DEA also stepped in several years ago to help the Los Angeles Police Department investigate <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/news/the-ketamine-queen-sentenced-for-matthew-perrys-death.html/”>Matthew Perry’s overdose death</a>. The investigation led to the arrest and conviction of five people who helped supply Perry with the ketamine that ultimately killed him.</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-details-of-her-death”>Details of Her Death</h2>
<p id=”par-5_98″>Hayden Panettiere died on August 16. She was pronounced dead at an apartment in Greenville, South Carolina, where she was staying briefly. She and her<a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/news/hayden-panettiere-doctor-warning-drinking-memoir.html/”> on-again, off-again boyfriend, Brian Hickerson,</a> arrived in South Carolina the previous day. According to police, Zach Hickerson found her unresponsive in a chair in the living room while Brian was asleep in a separate room. Paramedics and firefighters performed CPR and advanced life-saving measures for an extended period before she was declared dead. Initial reports indicated no foul play was suspected; later rumors that Panettiere’s death was the result of an overdose surfaced.</p>
<figure class=”wp-block-image size-full” id=”emb-2″><img decoding=”async” src=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Hayden-Panettiere.webp?strip=all&quality=80″ alt=”Hayden Panettiere wearing a white shirt and speaking into a microphone” class=”wp-image-3893168″><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>Hayden Panettiere | Jay Shetty Podcast via YouTube </figcaption></figure>
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<p id=”par-6_68″>Her death comes just months after the release of her memoir, <em>This Is Me: A Reckoning</em>. In the press tour for the book and inside the pages of the memoir, Panettiere got candid about her personal struggles, including <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/news/hayden-panettiere-doctor-warning-drinking-memoir.html/”>years of substance abuse</a>. She also discussed suffering through an abusive relationship with Hickerson, and her struggles with postpartum depression following the birth of her daughter, Kaya, 11 years ago.</p>
<p id=”par-7_99″>Panettiere first rose to fame as a child actor, appearing in <em>Remember the Titans</em> alongside Denzel Washington. She parlayed her childhood stardom into an adult career, with her breakout role as Claire Bennet on <em>Heroes</em>. Panettiere later starred as country singer Juliette Barnes on <em>Nashville</em>, earning two Golden Globe nominations for the role. She is survived by her daughter, Kaya, whom she shared with ex-fiancé and <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/news/hayden-panettieres-ex-fiance-posts-heartfelt-tribute-relationship.html/”>retired boxer Wladimir Klitschko.</a> Klitschko issued a statement following the death, praising Panettiere’s talent and expressing his shock and grief. Kaya was staying with Klitschko in Ukraine at the time of Panettiere’s death.</p>
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<p id=”par-9_18″><em>If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, the SAMHSA National Helpline is available at 1-800-662-4357.</em></p>