Newly released 911 audio has revealed the desperate efforts made by Zach Hickerson to save actress Hayden Panettiere after discovering her unconscious inside a South Carolina rental property in August.
Zach, the brother of Panettiere’s on-and-off boyfriend Brian Hickerson, contacted emergency services on Aug. 16 after arriving at the Greenville apartment.
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In the recording, obtained by ABC News and CBS News, he sounds distressed as he asks the dispatcher whether he should perform CPR.
According to Zach’s account, he had returned from church and attempted to contact both his brother and Panettiere by phone and text. When neither responded, he decided to drive to the Airbnb where they were staying.
Speaking to TMZ following the actress’s death, Zach explained that he knocked because he didn’t know the apartment’s access code.
The noise apparently woke Brian, and the brothers went inside to check on Panettiere after attempting to wake her for lunch. They soon realized she was unconscious.
During the emergency call, the dispatcher asked whether Panettiere was breathing. Zach responded that he didn’t think she was. After checking whether a defibrillator was available, the operator instructed him to begin CPR.
“Okay, we need to start CPR,” the operator states. “I’m going to tell you how to do CPR, okay? We’re gonna start with ventilation first.
“I need you to lay her flat on her back and remove anything from under her head.”
911 dispatcher guided desperate life-saving efforts
The approximately seven-minute recording captures the operator guiding Zach through the procedure as he attempts to follow instructions before emergency personnel arrive. The dispatcher can be heard counting compressions and encouraging him to continue.
Zach subsequently said Brian administered Narcan, a medication used to reverse potentially fatal opioid overdoses, while both brothers performed CPR. They continued their efforts until firefighters and emergency medical personnel reached the apartment and took over treatment.
Despite their attempts, Panettiere couldn’t be saved. The Greenville County Coroner’s Office confirmed that emergency responders found her in cardiac arrest and pronounced her dead at 2:32 p.m. She was 36.
In September, officials determined that her death resulted from the toxic effects of fentanyl, 4-ANPP, alprazolam, methocarbamol and quetiapine. Her death was classified as accidental.
Authorities reportedly found medication at the scene, and investigators subsequently examined circumstances surrounding her death.
The Greenville Police Department investigated the case, with the Drug Enforcement Administration also becoming involved. Neither Brian nor Zach Hickerson has been charged in connection with Panettiere’s death.
The actress, best known for her performances in Heroes and Nashville, had previously spoken openly about her struggles with addiction and postpartum depression.
She also addressed her daughter Kaya’s living arrangements with former fiancé Wladimir Klitschko, who received full custody in 2018 while Panettiere sought treatment.
She later rejected suggestions that she had willingly abandoned her child, explaining that pursuing recovery had been a difficult but necessary decision.