New details have emerged from neighbors who live at the apartment complex in Greenville, South Carolina, where Hayden Panettiere died at age 36.
“It happened on my hallway, but I didn’t see or hear anything,” one Judson Mill Lofts resident exclusively told Us on Monday, August 17. “No one I spoke [to] saw or heard anything until a rush of EMS and police came.”
The resident continued, “They were very quiet whatever they were doing.”
The resident, who wished to remain anonymous, shared that the apartments are relatively soundproof and Panettiere was apparently staying in an Airbnb.
“I know there was more than one person staying there,” the resident said. “I spoke to a woman who was leaving this morning and was right next door to that Airbnb. She didn’t hear or see anything.”
The resident explained that a neighbor informed them that one of Panettiere’s friends was playing at The Foundry on Friday, August 14, which is attached to the apartment building and is one of the reasons the actress was staying at the complex. (Panettiere’s former Nashville costar Charles Esten was booked for two nights at the venue, Friday and Saturday, August 15, as part of his Carolina Tour.)
The resident also described seeing two men outside of the apartment amid the commotion on Sunday, August 16, sitting on the floor in the hallway and looking “in complete shock.”
“Their heads [were] down and hats on. They were not talking,” the resident told Us. “I have no idea what role they played, if any. The authorities were there. There were one or two officers guarding the apartment door.”
Hours later, the coroner arrived at the scene, the resident said.
“They were here a long time,” the resident said of police, EMS, and the coroner, estimating they were at the apartment for a few hours. “We didn’t know who or what was going on until this morning.”
A separate resident, who also wished to remain anonymous, told Us that they had “zero idea” that anything occurred in the apartment complex and noted that the building is “quite large.” The leasing office, however, informed them of activity in the building.
“The leasing office sent a notice this morning before they opened saying we know something happened and there is a lot of [public] attention and there might be media on the property,” the second resident said. “I had no idea [Panettiere] had any connections to the building. There are a number of Airbnbs and rentals in the property.”
News broke on Sunday that Panettiere died.
Her cause of death has not been publicly disclosed at this time. One day later, authorities in South Carolina confirmed that they had responded to reports of an “unresponsive female,” who was later identified as Panettiere.
TMZ reported that responders attempted to resuscitate Panettiere using “advanced cardiac life support,” including CPR, special medicines, breathing tubes and heart rhythm tracking. Panettiere was pronounced dead after the paramedics were unable to revive her.
In dispatch audio obtained by People, authorities could be heard discussing an “overdose” and “cardiac arrest” around the time of Panettiere’s death. An investigation is ongoing.
“The case is under investigation by the Greenville Police Department in conjunction with the Greenville County Coroner’s Office,” authorities said in a statement. “The preliminary investigation has not indicated any signs of foul play or suspicious circumstances. An acquaintance of Ms. Panettiere placed the 911 call.”
Us has since learned that Panettiere’s autopsy was completed on Monday. “On August 16, 2026, at approximately 1:51 PM, a 911 call was received regarding a reported cardiac arrest,” read a statement from the Greenville County Coroner’s Office. “First responders and Emergency Medical Services arrived on scene and located a female in cardiac arrest. EMS personnel initiated advanced cardiac life support measures; however, resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful, and the individual was pronounced deceased at 2:32 PM.”
The coroner’s office added, “No signs of trauma were discovered that would have contributed to the death.”
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