The death of former child star Hayden Panettiere at the age of 36 has left fans searching for answers, particularly as new details emerge about the physical problems she reportedly experienced before her passing. Panettiere was found dead on Aug. 16 in an apartment in Greenville, South Carolina, with her former boyfriend Brian Hickerson reportedly present at the time. Police initially said they did not suspect foul play, while an initial autopsy reportedly found no signs of physical trauma. Yet amid the questions surrounding the final period of her life, a new report has drawn attention to a mysterious condition that caused severe pain and unusual sensations in her legs. According to her mother, Lesley Vogel, the actress had struggled with frightening physical symptoms that at times made it difficult for her to function or even walk normally.

The New York Times reported that Vogel spent time with her daughter in Los Angeles approximately a year before Panettiere’s death and witnessed just how seriously the unexplained condition was affecting her. Vogel recalled that her daughter was in significant pain and deeply frightened by what was happening to her body. “She couldn’t physically function properly,” her mother said. Among the most disturbing symptoms was a sensation described as “pins and needles” running through Panettiere’s legs. The problem reportedly became severe enough to interfere with her ability to walk. Vogel tried to help her daughter find an explanation, taking her to doctors as well as an acupuncturist in an effort to identify the source of the pain and provide some relief. The available account, however, does not establish a definitive diagnosis for the symptoms or connect them directly to her reported death.

Those health difficulties were unfolding against an already complicated personal history. Only months before her death, Panettiere traveled to Manhattan in May as part of the promotion for her memoir, This is Me: A Reckoning. During a visit to Barnes & Noble, she was reportedly accompanied by private security. According to the New York Times, those protecting Panettiere had been given explicit instructions that Brian Hickerson was not to be allowed near her. The precautions were significant because Hickerson had previously been involved in a turbulent relationship with the actress. Panettiere later addressed that relationship publicly and in her memoir, describing experiences that added another painful chapter to a life that had already included struggles with fame, substance use and mental health.

Panettiere wrote about Hickerson and the violence that occurred during their relationship, while the New York Times noted that incidents involving him resulted in three arrests and a period of incarceration. The reported decision to keep him away from Panettiere during her Manhattan appearance therefore appears especially notable in retrospect. Hickerson was reportedly present when she was later found dead in South Carolina, although authorities initially stated that foul play was not suspected. The initial autopsy finding of no signs of trauma is also an important part of the circumstances that have been publicly reported. His presence alone does not establish responsibility for her death, and the information currently described does not demonstrate that her previous relationship with him was connected to the cause of her passing.

The revelations about Panettiere’s unexplained pain have nevertheless raised a separate set of questions about her health in the period before her death. The “pins and needles” sensation described by her mother was apparently not a minor or temporary discomfort. Vogel’s account portrays her daughter as frightened and physically impaired, with the symptoms affecting something as fundamental as walking. What remains unclear from the reported information is exactly what caused those sensations, whether doctors ever reached a diagnosis, and whether the condition had any relevance to what happened later. Without a confirmed medical explanation or final determination of cause of death, it would be premature to claim that this mysterious illness caused Panettiere’s death. What can be said is that she had reportedly been dealing with serious physical difficulties well before she was found dead.

Panettiere had also spoken openly for years about other struggles, including depression, addiction and the pressures she experienced after entering the entertainment industry at a young age. She previously told People that she was given what she called “happy pills” when she was only 15. At 16, she landed her breakthrough role on Heroes, becoming one of television’s most recognizable young actresses. As she grew older, she said alcohol and occasional opioid use became increasingly significant parts of her life. Panettiere explained that working provided a form of structure because she knew she could not allow herself to become visibly out of control while she was on set. Away from work, however, she said her substance use became progressively harder to manage, eventually reaching a point where drugs and alcohol felt almost impossible to live without.

Her death has also renewed a broader conversation about the experiences of children who grow up working in Hollywood. Actress Melissa Gilbert addressed the issue publicly on Saturday, pointing to the deaths of Panettiere, Michelle Trachtenberg and Daveigh Chase and questioning why the circumstances facing former child performers were not receiving greater mainstream attention. Gilbert described the loss of three women from the same generation of child actors as tragic and argued that stronger protections are needed for young performers. Her comments shifted some of the discussion beyond the individual circumstances surrounding Panettiere and toward a larger question: whether children who enter a demanding entertainment industry receive enough long-term emotional, psychological and professional support as they grow into adulthood.

For now, the newly reported details leave a complicated picture rather than a simple explanation. Panettiere had reportedly experienced debilitating pain and strange sensations in her legs, while her mother remembered a period when she was scared and unable to function normally. She had also taken security precautions to keep a former boyfriend with a documented history of violence toward her away from a public appearance, and she had candidly discussed her past battles with depression and addiction. None of those facts, taken individually or together, establishes what caused her reported death. Until authorities or medical officials provide a definitive determination, the mysterious pain described by her mother remains an unresolved part of Panettiere’s final years rather than a confirmed cause. What the account does reveal is that behind her public image, she had been confronting serious physical and personal difficulties that those closest to her had witnessed firsthand.