Police Performed Welfare Check at Hayden Panettiere’s Apartment Weeks Before Her Death

Police Conducted Welfare Check One Week Before Hayden Panettiere’s Death

Hayden Panettiere’s West Hollywood apartment was the subject of a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department welfare check on August 9, one week before the 36-year-old died in South Carolina. According to documents obtained by Us Weekly and reported by Page Six, authorities responded to a 10 p.m. call regarding a woman whose circle had grown concerned that she was “not answering the phone.”

The Bottom Line

• The Welfare Check: LA County deputies visited Panettiere’s West Hollywood apartment at 10 p.m. on August 9 after a caller was “concerned” she was “not answering the phone.”
• The Response: Brian Hickerson answered the door, telling authorities the woman “was sick all day and did not feel good.”
• The Toxicology Findings: Panettiere ultimately passed away on August 16 at a South Carolina Airbnb due to the toxic effects of fentanyl, 4-ANPP, Alprazolam, Methocarbamol, and Quetiapine.

Calls to the West Hollywood Residence

According to the 911 service records detailed by Us Weekly, law enforcement had been dispatched to Panettiere’s Los Angeles home twice in 2025. On August 4, 2025, officers responded after an unidentified white male wearing a green polo, sweats, and no shoes attempted to enter a third-floor unit before leaving the premises. A subsequent call came in on September 8, 2025, regarding an “ongoing issue” with an unidentified white male in the building’s garage who “refused to leave.”

Regarding the August 9 check, a source told Us Weekly that the call was for Panettiere, claiming she “had become unresponsive to many people in her circle and there was concern.” When deputies arrived at the apartment, they were informed by the person who answered the door—identified by the source as Brian Hickerson—that the woman “was sick all day and did not feel good.” Additionally, an insider claimed that following a hospitalization the week prior, the Heroes alum informed a visiting friend that Hickerson had taken her phone.

Toxicology Results and Coroner Findings

Panettiere died on August 16 at an Airbnb in Greenville, South Carolina. According to a toxicology report, her death was ruled accidental and caused by the toxic effects of multiple drugs, including fentanyl, 4-ANPP, Alprazolam, Methocarbamol, and Quetiapine. The coroner’s report stated that an autopsy revealed “no signs of trauma were discovered that would have contributed to the death.”

Photo: yahoo.com

The Drug Enforcement Administration joined local and state officials in the investigation days after her death. Panettiere had spent “two or three weeks” at a treatment facility in Malibu prior to her death, as confirmed by her father, Skip Panettiere, in a Greenville County Coroner’s Office report.

Presence at the South Carolina Scene

At the time of her death, Panettiere was with Brian Hickerson and his brother, Zach Hickerson. Responding paramedics performed life-saving procedures “for an extended amount of time” before pronouncing the actress dead at the scene. A police report noted that Brian Hickerson showed officers a bag of medication Panettiere was taking, while Zach Hickerson grew emotional while emergency services attempted resuscitation.

Photo: huffpost.com

Three days after the incident, local police conducted a separate welfare check at the Greenville home of the Hickerson brothers’ grandmother, Betty Ellison, located “about five miles away” from the Airbnb. Officers knocked on the front and side doors but received no response before departing.

Timeline of Reported Incidents and Investigations

Date	Location	Event Reported
August 4, 2025	West Hollywood, CA	Police responded to a report of an unknown male attempting to enter a complex unit.
September 8, 2025	West Hollywood, CA	Officers returned following reports of an individual refusing to leave the building’s garage.
August 9	West Hollywood, CA	Deputies performed a welfare check after a caller was “concerned” Panettiere was “not answering the phone.”
August 16	Greenville, SC	Panettiere passed away from the toxic effects of multiple drugs at an Airbnb.

TMZ reported that Brian and Zach Hickerson were not invited to Panettiere’s celebration of life service held in Malibu, California. Brian Hickerson has previously confessed to being abusive toward Panettiere and has been arrested multiple times. Page Six has reached out to Panettiere’s rep and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.