5 Things to Know About Hayden Panettiere's Death in Greenville, South Carolina, as Police Investigate

GREENVILLE, S.C. — Actress Hayden Panettiere, best known for her roles in "Heroes" and "Nashville," was found dead at an apartment complex in Greenville on Sunday, according to the Greenville Police Department, which has confirmed an active investigation into the circumstances surrounding her death. Here are five key details confirmed so far.

1. Panettiere was found unresponsive at a Greenville apartment complex.

Officers and emergency medical personnel responded at approximately 1:51 p.m. Sunday to Judson Mill Lofts, located at 701 Easley Bridge Road in Greenville, following a report of an unresponsive female, according to the Greenville Police Department. Medical assistance was administered at the scene, but Panettiere was ultimately pronounced deceased. Her death marks a tragic and unexpected end for the 36-year-old actress, whose career spanned more than three decades in television and film.

2. An acquaintance of Panettiere placed the 911 call.

According to authorities, someone described as an acquaintance of Panettiere was the individual who contacted emergency services to report the unresponsive woman at the apartment complex. Police have not released further details regarding the identity of that acquaintance or the nature of their relationship to Panettiere, and no additional information about the circumstances leading up to the 911 call has been made public at this time.

3. Police say the investigation has found no signs of foul play so far.

The Greenville Police Department is conducting its investigation in conjunction with the Greenville County Coroner's Office. Authorities have stated that preliminary findings have not indicated any signs of foul play or suspicious circumstances surrounding Panettiere's death. Police have cautioned, however, that the investigation remains ongoing, and a determination of the specific cause of death has not yet been publicly released by the coroner's office.

4. Panettiere's death was confirmed by her representative before local police released details.

News of Panettiere's death first became public Sunday night through a statement from her representative to ABC News, hours before the Greenville Police Department released its own statement confirming the location and circumstances of where she was found. Her father, Skip Panettiere, said in that initial statement that his daughter had been "an incredible light and a force of nature" to everyone who knew her and to the audiences who had followed her career, and he asked for privacy for the family during this time. Entertainment outlet TMZ, citing law enforcement sources, had also reported Sunday night that police responded to an incident involving the actress and that an investigation was underway, though specific location details from South Carolina authorities were not confirmed publicly until early Monday morning.

5. Panettiere had traveled from Los Angeles to the South just a day before her death.

According to TMZ's reporting, citing sources with direct knowledge of the situation, Panettiere and her on-again, off-again boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, had flown from Los Angeles to the South on Saturday, the day before she was found unresponsive in Greenville. TMZ reported that Hickerson's family was aware of her death. It remains unclear, based on currently available reporting, what led the pair to travel to South Carolina or what specific circumstances preceded the discovery of Panettiere at the Judson Mill Lofts apartment complex.

Panettiere's death has prompted an outpouring of tributes from fans and former colleagues across the entertainment industry, many of whom remembered her breakout role as the indestructible cheerleader Claire Bennet on NBC's "Heroes," a part that made her one of the most recognizable young actresses on American television during the show's four-season run beginning in 2006. She later starred as troubled country music singer Juliette Barnes on the ABC and CMT drama "Nashville," a performance that earned her two Golden Globe nominations and further cemented her standing as one of the era's leading dramatic television actresses.

Beyond her television work, Panettiere built a substantial film career that began in early childhood, including voice work in the animated Pixar film "A Bug's Life" and Disney's "Dinosaur," along with live-action roles in "Remember the Titans" alongside Denzel Washington, the teen comedy "I Love You, Beth Cooper," and the horror franchise "Scream," in which she played fan-favorite character Kirby Reed across both 2011's "Scream 4" and 2023's "Scream VI."

In the years leading up to her death, Panettiere had become increasingly open about a range of personal struggles, including postpartum depression, addiction and a documented history of domestic abuse in her relationship with Hickerson. She detailed those experiences extensively in a memoir titled "This Is Me: A Reckoning," which she published in May, roughly three months before her death. The book chronicled her life growing up as a child star, her path through addiction and recovery, and the emotional toll of relinquishing custody of her daughter, Kaya, to her former partner, boxer Wladimir Klitschko, in 2018.

Panettiere's death also follows a previous family tragedy: her younger brother, actor Jansen Panettiere, died suddenly in February 2023 at age 28. His family said at the time that his death resulted from cardiomegaly, an enlarged heart, combined with aortic valve complications. Hayden Panettiere spoke publicly in the years following her brother's death about the lasting grief that loss had caused her, describing the experience as one that permanently altered how she understood loss and mortality.

As of this report, the Greenville County Coroner's Office has not released an official cause of death, and the Greenville Police Department has indicated that no additional details are available for release at this time. Authorities have not provided a timeline for when a final determination might be made public. Both the police department and coroner's office have said the investigation remains active, and further updates are expected as additional information becomes available in the coming days.