Narcan was found in the apartment where Hayden Panettiere died, it was reported, after the Heroes actress suffered an apparent overdose at the age of 36.
The nasal spray, which is used to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose, was found on a mattress in a loft apartment where Panettiere was staying when she died Sunday. TMZ reports this.
Naloxone, the active ingredient in Narcan Nasal Spray, blocks the binding of opioids such as heroin, fentanyl, morphine and prescription painkillers to brain receptors.
This allows the person to start breathing again within two to three minutes and remains active in the body for 30 to 90 minutes.
It is still unclear whether Narcan was used to revive Panettiere, although 911 audio obtained earlier on Monday showed the actress had gone into cardiac arrest after a suspected overdose.
On Monday, the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office said Panettiere’s autopsy was completed and no signs of trauma were found on the star’s body.
Further investigations will now take place to determine her cause of death, with Deputy Chief Coroner Shelton England telling the Daily Mail it was too early to discuss the drug overdose theory.
Meanwhile, a neighbor has spoken about the chaos that unfolded at the scene on Sunday after Panettiere became unresponsive and attempts to revive her were unsuccessful.
Micah Lee, who lives in the Judson Mill Lofts complex where Panettiere died, claimed there was “a lot of commotion in the hallway” after the star reportedly “collapsed” in a unit in the building.
‘The corridors are quite hollow, so the sound reverberates everywhere. And I had just heard that someone collapsed,” Lee said WYFF. ‘And then there was talk of cardiac arrest. I can’t confirm all that. That’s exactly what I heard.’
In audio of a 911 call at 1:51 p.m. Sunday, a female dispatcher described the actress as being in “cardiac arrest.”
Moments later, a male dispatcher was heard saying that Panettiere had suffered a suspected overdose at his home.
The actress — who would have turned 37 on Friday — was pronounced dead at the scene at 2:32 p.m., just over 40 minutes after the first 911 call was made.
The Greenville County Coroner’s Office has completed the star’s autopsy, with the coroner telling the Daily Mail that “no signs of trauma were discovered that would have contributed to death.”
The cause and exact manner of her death are still under investigation.
Hayden Panettiere previously relied on crutches to help her walk as she battled a painful back injury. Above, stumbling at LAX with ex-boyfriend Brian Hickerson in March
The actress was found dead on Sunday at the Judson Mill Lofts in Greenville, South Carolina
Panettiere was “found unconscious in the home where she was temporarily staying,” the coroner said in a statement.
An aerial view of the area where Hayden Panettiere was found in cardiac arrest in Greenville, South Carolina
Police and the medical examiner are investigating her death, but say the preliminary investigation found no signs of foul play or suspicious circumstances.
Panettiere was “found unconscious in the home where she was temporarily staying,” the coroner said in a statement.
Investigators will conduct additional investigations as they continue to investigate the case, the coroner’s statement said.
Micah Lee, who reportedly lives in the complex, claimed there was ‘a lot of commotion in the hallway’ after the star reportedly ‘collapsed’ in a unit in the building
Panettiere and her ex-boyfriend Brian Hickerson, a real estate agent, reportedly flew from Los Angeles to South Carolina the day before she died.
Hickerson is originally from Greenville, public records show. It is unclear whether the couple was in town to visit his family.
Panettiere’s Nashville co-star Charles Esten also performed Friday night at The Foundry, a music venue in the complex, as part of his Carolina Tour.
Judson Mill Lofts is a former textile mill built in 1912, recently converted into apartments. These include studios and three-bedroom homes that can rent from $1,295 to $3,485 per month.
Previously, a representative for Panettiere confirmed her death and said her family would remember her as an “incredible light” who “brought immeasurable love and joy to all who knew her.”
A statement from her father, Skip, read: “It is with great sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden.
“She was an incredible light and force of nature who brought immeasurable love and joy to all who knew her – and to the millions who watched her on screen.”
Her father also asked that her family be given privacy as they “take time to process this unimaginable loss.”
Panettiere with her ex-boyfriend Brian Hickerson in Los Angeles in 2018. The couple had reportedly traveled together to Greenville, where Hickerson is from.
The actress had a history of drug addiction, starting when she was just 15 years old. At the time, she claimed she started taking “happiness pills” in an attempt to make her appear “peppy” during interviews.
Her addiction worsened when she struggled with postpartum depression after the birth of her daughter Kaya in 2014.
But Panettiere has been sober in recent years, she said in a 2022 interview, noting that “it’s a daily struggle.”
“It’s an everyday choice, and I’m constantly watching myself,” Panettiere told People at the time. “But I’m so grateful to be part of this world again, and I’ll never take it for granted again.”
Panettiere has also opened up about how she almost died during childbirth and later gave full custody of Kaya to her former fiancé, Ukrainian boxer Wladimir Klitschko.
Kaya, now 11, lives in Europe with her father.
Speaking about the decision, Panettiere said she “desperately” needed help at the time and emphasized that Kaya doesn’t feel “abandoned” while appearing on a recent episode of the series. On purpose with Jay Shetty podcast.
“The idea that anyone would think I would just give my child away and be okay with it is heartbreaking. It couldn’t be further from the truth,” she said.
“I was struggling with mental health and anxiety and postpartum and having to work my way through it, and feeling like I was completely losing myself,” she added.
Panettiere leaves behind an 11-year-old daughter with ex, Wladimir Klitschko
In May, Panettiere released her memoir titled This Is Me: A Reckoning
The actress opened up about how she struggled with the decision to give Klitschko full custody.
“It wasn’t a decision I made lightly, and it wasn’t a decision I even wanted to make,” she said.
“I was going through a very challenging time in my life…I knew I had to be able to put her first so I could get the help I needed and be the mother she needed.”
After her daughter’s birth in 2014, Panettiere recalled bleeding before undergoing seven blood transfusions and surgery to repair blood vessels that had begun to fail.
She said, “I closed my eyes and prayed that my daughter would be okay. I was really ready to go when it was my time. That Kaya was safe and healthy was all that mattered.”
Days later, however, she recalled feeling “nothing” when she looked at her daughter and developed postpartum depression. The actress then turned to drinking.
She said: ‘I turned to wine, which eventually led to an alcohol addiction. That’s how I got through every day.’
Although she received treatment, Panettiere felt that the “cause” of her drinking, depression, was not being addressed.
‘I wish more people knew what it was at the time. Maybe I wouldn’t have waited so long to get help,” she said.
Panettiere is remembered for her role as Claire Bennet on the hit NBC series Heroes
She played Juliette Barnes on the ABC show Nashville and released several of her own songs
Six years after giving up custody, Panettiere spoke about her current relationship with her daughter.
She said, “I love my daughter, and I am so proud of the young woman she is becoming. I talk to her all the time and I feel so connected to her. She’s like a mini me.’
The actress went on to say that she “could have put her first no matter how I felt or what I went through” and that she hoped Kaya would one day “understand my story and why I couldn’t be with her all the time.”
She then called herself “resilient” and a “work in progress,” but that she was “doing the work… and doing my best.”
In May, Panettiere released her memoir titled This Is Me: A Reckoning, in which she also described being separated from her only child.
“Not being under the same roof with her every day has been the most heartbreaking experience of my life, and it’s hard to describe the layers of emotions — including sadness, resentment and anger — I’ve felt as a result,” she wrote.
“I’m sad that I’m not the mom I thought I was and certainly not the mom I want to be (trust me, no one should ever have to raise a child on FaceTime), and while I miss Kaya so much that my heart aches, I know how blessed I am to be her mom.
“She is the greatest gift of my life, with the best parts of her father and me.”
