GREENVILLE: Zach Hickerson sought help to resuscitate actor Hayden Panettiere during an August 16 emergency in South Carolina, newly released 911 call audio shows.
ABC News and CBS News published the approximately seven-minute recording on Wednesday. Zach, the brother of Panettiere’s on-and-off boyfriend Brian Hickerson, told the operator he had arrived after church. He described finding the actress unconscious after his brother woke up.
An operator asked whether Panettiere was breathing. Zach initially replied that he did not think so. After asking about access to a defibrillator, the dispatcher instructed him to begin cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
“Okay, we need to start CPR,” the operator said.
Throughout the call, the dispatcher guided Zach through the procedure and counted chest compressions. He continued attempting resuscitation until emergency personnel arrived and took over.
In a separate account given to TMZ after Panettiere’s death, Zach described calling and texting both her and Brian without receiving a response. He then drove to their Airbnb rental and knocked because he did not know the apartment’s access code.
Zach said Brian administered Narcan, a medicine used to reverse opioid overdoses, while both brothers attempted CPR.
The Greenville County Coroner’s Office confirmed that responders found Panettiere in cardiac arrest and could not revive her. She was 36.
On September 22, the office ruled her death accidental. It attributed the death to the toxic effects of fentanyl, 4-ANPP, alprazolam, methocarbamol and quetiapine.
Read: Hayden Panettiere Death Investigation Focuses on Drugs
Greenville Police Department investigated the death, with the Drug Enforcement Administration also involved. Neither brother has faced charges in connection with the case.
Panettiere was best known for her television roles in “Heroes” and “Nashville”. She had spoken publicly about addiction and postpartum depression.
(With additional input from People)
