A newly released 911 call captures Zach Hickerson trying to save Hayden Panettiere after he found her unresponsive in an Airbnb in South Carolina on Aug. 16. In the audio, he tells the dispatcher he had just returned from church, then reacts with, “Oh god, oh my god,” as the emergency response begins.
The call was obtained by CBS News on Wednesday, putting fresh audio to a death that had already been confirmed but whose final moments were not public in this form. Hickerson said he could not tell whether Panettiere was breathing, and when asked, answered, “No, I don’t think so.” The dispatcher told him to find a defibrillator, but he was unable to locate one.
From there, the call turns into a step-by-step effort to keep her alive. After Hickerson confirmed she was not breathing, the dispatcher said, “OK, we need to start CPR,” then added, “I’m going to tell you how to do CPR, OK? We’re gonna start with ventilation first.” Hickerson performed life-saving measures until first responders arrived and took over.
That sequence matters because it adds a timed, on-the-ground account of how quickly the emergency unfolded and how little room there was for rescue once Panettiere was found. She was 36, and she was pronounced dead at the scene at 2:32 p.m. local time. Her death was later ruled an accident after toxic effects of 4-ANPP, fentanyl, methocarbamol, alprazolam and quetiapine were identified, with no signs of trauma contributing to the death.
The release also puts the focus back on the practical question of why the call surfaced now. The audio did not change the basic finding of death, but it did change the public record by showing the attempted rescue in real time. Brian Hickerson’s brother, who called authorities after finding her unresponsive, was also involved in the aftermath, including giving officers a bag of medication Panettiere had been taking.
Panettiere had long spoken publicly about addiction to opioids and alcohol and about postpartum depression, including a “really scary” and “painful” period after giving birth to Kaya in 2015. She later said on Live with Kelly and Michael that people often dismissed the condition and that women needed support. Her engagement to Wladimir Klitschko ended in 2018, and she gave full custody of Kaya to her ex.
For now, the newly released audio answers one part of the story plainly: Hickerson did not find Panettiere already gone without trying to help. The unanswered part is why the recording was made public at this point, after the death ruling was already known and the case file had settled into the record.
