Hayden Panettiere had secretly entered rehab weeks before her death, new report reveals

More heartbreaking details have come to light following Hayden Panettiere’s death, including new information about her struggles in the weeks before she died.

New details from the Greenville County Coroner’s Office acquired by Page Six are providing a closer look at Panettiere’s final weeks, including a recent stay at a treatment facility in Malibu, California.

Her father, Skip Panettiere, told investigators that his daughter had recently completed a two- to three-week stay at the facility. One of the Hickerson brothers separately told authorities that Panettiere had been there “up until a few weeks ago.”

The revelation comes as investigators continue to piece together what happened in the hours and days before the Heroes and Nashville star’s death.

What happened the morning Hayden died?

Panettiere had traveled from Los Angeles to Greenville with her on-and-off boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, arriving the day before her death.

Brian told investigators that he woke up around 10 or 10:30 a.m. on Aug. 16 and saw Panettiere getting ready in the bathroom.

The pair “ate cereal together,” after which Brian said he returned to the bedroom and fell back asleep.

Later that afternoon, his brother arrived at the apartment. They had planned to go to lunch with Panettiere, but one of the brothers instead found her unresponsive.

He described her as “sitting crisscross applesauce, face down and unresponsive on the sofa bed” and said she was “purple in color.”

The brother told investigators that Panettiere falling asleep in that position was not unusual for her. He said he administered nasal Narcan twice, but it did not revive her.

The brothers called 911 and began CPR. Emergency personnel continued resuscitation efforts for roughly 30 minutes before Panettiere was pronounced dead shortly after 2:30 p.m.

Hayden Panettiere had a long history of addiction

According to the coroner’s report, one of the Hickerson brothers told investigators that Panettiere had “a long history of drug, alcohol and nitrous oxide abuse.”

He also said he had previously “had to administer Narcan to the decedent.” Narcan, or naloxone, is an emergency medication used to reverse an opioid overdose.

The brother told authorities he hadn’t seen Panettiere use illegal drugs immediately before her death, though he said she was “very good at hiding them.”

Skip also spoke about his daughter’s years-long battle with addiction, telling investigators that she “struggled with addiction since her early 20s and [had] been in multiple rehab facilities since that time.”

He said her struggles became more severe after the birth of her daughter, Kaya, now 11.

According to Skip, Panettiere “suffered from postpartum depression after the birth of her daughter,” and her “addiction issues … escalated since then.”

Panettiere had previously been open about both postpartum depression and substance abuse, including in her memoir.

Fentanyl was found among the evidence

Investigators documented a number of items inside the South Carolina Airbnb that later became relevant to the toxicology investigation.

Among the items recovered was a small clear plastic bag containing a white powdery substance, along with a cut straw that had residue on it. 

Investigators also found an Adderall bottle containing blue tablets that appeared to be pressed pills and another cut straw.

The report states that the pills and straws later tested positive for fentanyl.

Investigators also documented prescription bottles, glass vials, and prefilled and empty syringes inside a small lunchbox in the refrigerator.

Panettiere’s official cause of death was ultimately determined to be the toxic effects of fentanyl, 4-ANPP, alprazolam, methocarbamol, and quetiapine. Her manner of death was ruled an accident.

Her father described her relationship with Brian as “nothing but troubled”

Skip was also asked about his daughter’s relationship with Brian and described it as “nothing but troubled.”

Brian and Panettiere had a complicated on-and-off relationship and had reconnected shortly before her death.

Skip was also clear about what he wanted to happen to his daughter’s belongings after her death.

According to the report, he did not want any of Panettiere’s personal property left with Brian or his brother, Zach Hickerson.

Both Skip and Panettiere’s estranged mother, Lesley Vogel, requested her belongings, with the report noting that the family and the Hickerson brothers would need to reach an agreement before the items could be released.