Hayden Panettiere died at age 36 in South Carolina on Sunday from suspected cardiac arrest and overdose, just months after publishing a memoir detailing how she was sex-trafficked at 18 by someone she trusted.

Betrayal on a Yacht

The former “Heroes” star recounted in her book “This Is Me: A Reckoning,” released in May, how a female friend she considered a protector led her onto a yacht belonging to an unnamed wealthy man when she was still an emerging young actress. Panettiere described being escorted below deck into a small room where an undressed man waited in bed, expecting her to perform sexual acts. The man acted as though the situation was routine, she said.

Panettiere fled the room and tried to hide elsewhere on the vessel, but quickly realized escape was impossible. “There was no jumping off and swimming away. And there was nobody who was going to be empathetic to my situation,” she explained in interviews promoting the memoir. She recognized that trafficking women to this man was nothing new for those involved.

Substance Abuse Struggles

The actress had openly discussed her battles with alcohol and drug addiction in recent years. She previously revealed that handlers gave her “happy pills” starting at age 15 to keep her energetic during red carpet appearances. A friend discovered Panettiere unresponsive at an Airbnb rental in Greenville, South Carolina. Emergency dispatch audio confirmed responders were called for an unidentified female experiencing cardiac arrest with a suspected overdose.

Trust Destroyed

In reflecting on the trafficking incident, Panettiere emphasized the devastating impact of betrayal by someone close. “When you really find somebody that you trust, you hold on to them for dear life, and you feel so lucky. So to be betrayed like that is just an awful feeling,” she stated. The interview discussing her trafficking experience resurfaced immediately following news of her death, drawing renewed attention to the exploitation she endured as a teenager trying to navigate Hollywood. The identities of the wealthy man and the friend who facilitated the trafficking have never been publicly disclosed.