A 911 recording released after actress Hayden Panettiere’s death captures Zach Hickerson asking a dispatcher for instructions as he tried to revive her at a Greenville, South Carolina, residence on Aug. 16, 2026. ABC News and CBS News obtained the audio, according to Fox News.
The Greenville County Coroner’s Office said emergency services received a call at about 1:51 p.m. concerning a reported cardiac arrest at 701 Easley Bridge Road. Responders found Panettiere in cardiac arrest and attempted advanced life support. She was pronounced dead at 2:32 p.m., the office said.
In the recording, Hickerson tells the dispatcher that Panettiere is unconscious and appears not to be breathing. The dispatcher instructs him to place her on her back and begin CPR, then talks him through chest compressions and rescue breaths while help is on the way.
Fox News reported that Brian Hickerson, Zach’s brother and Panettiere’s on-and-off boyfriend, administered Narcan during the emergency. In a statement to TMZ shortly after her death, Zach Hickerson said he called 911 after the brothers tried to wake Panettiere. He said Brian gave her Narcan and the two performed CPR while the call was on speaker until fire and emergency medical personnel arrived.
The coroner’s office identified the deceased as Hayden Leslie Panettiere, 36, of California, and said she had been staying temporarily at the residence. An autopsy conducted by a board-certified forensic pathologist found no trauma that contributed to her death, according to the office.
The coroner ruled the cause of death to be the toxic effects of fentanyl, 4-ANPP, alprazolam, methocarbamol and quetiapine. The manner of death was classified as an accident. The office said it investigated alongside the Greenville City Police Department. Fox News also reported that the Drug Enforcement Administration was contacted and assisting with the investigation.
The report said Brian Hickerson’s brother told police that Brian was in a relationship with Panettiere when she died. TMZ reported that Brian and Panettiere had traveled from Los Angeles the day before she was found unconscious. The source material also says the pair had briefly separated in 2022 and reunited the following year.
The released call provides a record of the attempts to get emergency help, while the coroner’s findings establish the official cause and manner of death. The supplied report does not provide a final account of the broader investigation beyond the agencies’ involvement.
