Nearly a month after Hayden Panettiere was found unresponsive inside a South Carolina residence, investigators are still trying to determine exactly what happened in the hours before the 36-year-old actress died.

The inquiry has now reached the federal level.

Brian Hickerson, Panettiere’s on-again, off-again boyfriend, has met with officials from the Drug Enforcement Administration as authorities continue examining the circumstances surrounding her Aug. 16 death, according to a source close to the investigation.

Investigators have also interviewed other people, while toxicology results remain pending. Hickerson has not been accused or charged with any crime connected to Panettiere’s death.

The unanswered questions have kept the investigation open weeks after the actress — known for projects including Heroes, Nashville and Remember the Titans — was pronounced dead.

Investigators Are Looking Beyond the Residence

Panettiere was found at a residence in Greenville, South Carolina, on Sunday, Aug. 16.

Police were dispatched after receiving a 911 call about an “unresponsive female.” When first responders arrived, the woman was identified as Panettiere.

An autopsy was completed by the following day.

Greenville County Coroner Mike Ellis said there were no signs of trauma that contributed to her death. Panettiere had been found in cardiac arrest, and officials stressed that the investigation remained active.

Now authorities are reportedly examining whether drugs obtained before her death may have played a role.

Investigators are focusing attention on a possible dealer who allegedly supplied Panettiere with drugs, according to information cited in the report. That line of inquiry appears to be one reason federal drug-enforcement officials are involved.

The final medical picture, however, has not yet been established because toxicology testing remains incomplete.

Hickerson Was at the Scene

Hickerson and his brother, Zach, were both present when emergency personnel arrived at the residence.

According to a police report, Hickerson directed officers to a bag containing medication Panettiere had been taking.

Responding officer Matthew Bryan described Zach as highly emotional. The report stated that Hickerson did not appear visibly emotional until Panettiere was officially declared dead.

Bryan said he later spoke with Hickerson in greater detail, while Zach referred to Panettiere as his brother’s girlfriend.

Hickerson’s attorney, Sloan Ellis, declined to comment on Sept. 10.

In an earlier statement, Ellis emphasized that the investigation should be allowed to continue and noted that authorities had reported no signs of foul play. He said there would be no further comment out of respect for Panettiere’s loved ones and the ongoing inquiry.

Panettiere and Hickerson Shared a Complicated History

Panettiere and Hickerson were first linked in 2018, the same year her relationship with former fiancé Wladimir Klitschko ended.

Panettiere and Klitschko share a daughter, Kaya, who is now 11.

Her relationship with Hickerson would later become marked by serious legal problems.

Hickerson was arrested multiple times during their relationship, including on domestic violence charges in 2019 and 2020.

Following his 2020 arrest on eight domestic violence charges, Panettiere publicly addressed what she had experienced. She said at the time that she hoped speaking about her situation could encourage other people in abusive relationships to seek help.

In 2021, Hickerson pleaded no contest to two felony counts of injuring a partner stemming from the 2020 arrest.

He received a sentence that included 45 days in jail, four years of formal probation, 52 domestic violence classes, $500 in restitution and a five-year protective order. He ultimately spent 13 days in jail. Other charges were dropped, while the separate 2019 case was dismissed.

Despite their turbulent history, Hickerson and Panettiere remained linked on and off in the years that followed.

A Court Hearing Came Three Days Before Her Death

Another development involving Hickerson occurred just days before Panettiere died.

On July 20, Hickerson filed a petition seeking to have his convictions expunged, arguing that he had completed the requirements associated with his probation.

A hearing was held on Aug. 13 — only three days before Panettiere’s death.

Prosecutors opposed Hickerson’s request, citing alleged continued drug use. Neither Hickerson nor his attorney attended that hearing.

The timing has become part of the larger background surrounding an investigation that remains unresolved.

There is no allegation in the report that Hickerson caused Panettiere’s death, and authorities have not charged him with an offense related to it.

Instead, investigators appear to be gathering information from multiple people as they attempt to reconstruct the circumstances leading to the actress’s final hours.

Panettiere Had Previously Spoken About Addiction

Years before her death, Panettiere publicly discussed her own struggles with alcohol and opioids.

Looking back in a 2022 interview on the period when she first became involved with Hickerson, she described that stage of her life as extremely difficult and complicated.

She acknowledged wanting to party and engage in behavior she knew was unhealthy while privately dealing with addiction.

Those struggles became part of a remarkably public personal story for an actress who had been working in Hollywood since childhood.

But the current investigation has not yet produced a final determination connecting any specific substance to Panettiere’s death.

That answer could depend heavily on toxicology findings that investigators are still waiting to receive.

Her Family Remembered Her as a “Force of Nature”

Panettiere’s death was confirmed on Aug. 16 in a statement issued on behalf of her father, Alan “Skip” Panettiere.

Her family described her as an extraordinary presence who brought love and happiness not only to the people closest to her, but also to the millions who knew her through her work on screen.

Behind the celebrity, Panettiere was also a mother whose death left behind an 11-year-old daughter.

Now, almost a month after emergency responders were called to that Greenville residence, the investigation has entered another phase.

Federal officials have spoken with Hickerson. Other individuals have been interviewed. Investigators are reportedly examining whether a possible drug supplier played a role. And toxicology results — potentially one of the most important pieces of evidence — are still outstanding.

For now, authorities have reached no final public conclusion about what caused Hayden Panettiere’s sudden death.

The central question that emerged on Aug. 16 therefore remains unanswered: what happened before the 36-year-old actress went into cardiac arrest?

Until the remaining evidence is analyzed, investigators continue searching for that answer.