Hayden Panettiere neighbours reveals shock over scene at death apartment
Residents at the luxury Greenville complex were reassured there was nothing criminal to fear after emergency crews and police descended on the property where the actress died.
Hayden Panettiere’s neighbours have described the shock and confusion inside the luxury South Carolina apartment complex where the Heroes and Nashville star was found dead at the age of 36.
The actress was found unresponsive at Judson Mill Lofts in Greenville on Sunday, 16 August, after an acquaintance called 911 at about 1.51pm.
Emergency crews found Hayden in cardiac arrest and performed advanced cardiac life support before she was pronounced dead at 2.32pm.
The apartment where she was staying was being used as an Airbnb rental, according to Page Six, while police said there was no evidence of foul play.
A resident of Judson Mill Lofts has now told Page Six: “I was shocked, as I’m sure everyone in Greenville was, to find out she was here.”
The neighbor said they had never previously seen Hayden at the complex and did not know how long she had been staying there.
The resident added: “I don’t know that she was there long, and I’m not sure she even ever left the apartment.”
They also said: “I can only speak for myself, but you know, I never saw her, (and) I haven’t spoken to anyone else that said they have.”
The apartment complex’s management contacted residents following the emergency to reassure them about what had happened, according to the neighbour.
They said: “The apartment complex has sent out a couple messages saying it wasn’t anything criminal and that there’s no reason for anyone to be scared or anything like that.”
The neighbour added: “It’s still kind of jarring to hear that someone of her stature was here and then that tragically happened to her.”
They also recalled seeing authorities at the complex for hours on Sunday and realising somebody had died after a coroner’s vehicle arrived.
They said: “The coroner vehicle showed up and, of course, I knew then that there was a death.”
The resident added: “Then woke up this morning to hear that it was Hayden, which is just still shocking.”
Two men were also seen outside the apartment with police officers, according to the resident.
They said: “They looked like they were in shock, not speaking, and had their heads down.”
Further details about Hayden’s death emerged on Monday (17.08.26) when the Greenville County Coroner’s Office confirmed an autopsy had found no signs of trauma that contributed to her death.
Her cause and manner of death remain pending while additional studies are completed.
Dispatch audio obtained by media outlets included references to an “overdose” and cardiac arrest during the emergency response, but authorities have not determined that an overdose caused Hayden’s death. The investigation remains ongoing.
Hayden’s father, Alan “Skip” Panettiere, confirmed her death in a statement issued through the family.
Alan said: “It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden.”
He added: “She was an incredible light and a force of nature who brought immeasurable love and joy to all who knew her – and to the millions who watched her onscreen.”
The family also asked for privacy while dealing with her death.
Hayden’s death came three months after the release of her memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, which became a New York Times and USA Today bestseller.
The book covered her childhood in Hollywood, addiction, postpartum depression, relationships and the death of her younger brother Jansen Panettiere, who died aged 28 in 2023.
She had also recently withdrawn from a scheduled appearance at the Creep I.E.
Aftermath horror convention in Ontario, California.
Hayden was due to appear on July 11 and 12 as part of a rare Scream 4 reunion with Nico Tortorella, 38, but organisers announced that she had pulled out because of an “emergency”.
Hayden became internationally known as indestructible cheerleader Claire Bennet in NBC’s Heroes, which ran from 2006 to 2010.
She subsequently starred as country singer Juliette Barnes in Nashville, a performance that earned her two Golden Globe nominations.
Her film career included Remember the Titans, Scream 4 and Scream VI, in which she played horror fan favorite Kirby Reed. Her final screen role was in the 2026 psychological thriller Sleepwalker.
Hayden was also the mother of Kaya, 11, whose father is Ukrainian former heavyweight boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko, 50.
In This Is Me: A Reckoning, Hayden wrote about motherhood and her experiences with postpartum depression and addiction, as well as Kaya living primarily with Wladimir.
