Hayden Panettiere’s Boyfriend Was at Apartment Where She Died, Police Report Says
Hayden Panettiere’s on-and-off boyfriend Brian Hickerson and his brother Zach were at the South Carolina apartment where the actor died over the weekend, according to a police report released Tuesday. A Greenville police officer who responded to the residence Sunday afternoon was met by the brothers and observed paramedics performing CPR on an unresponsive woman, the report states.
“The patient did not seem to have any obvious physical reasons to be unresponsive,” the officer noted. After attempting lifesaving measures, emergency workers declared Panettiere dead at 2:31 p.m. No cause has been determined, and her death remains under investigation. An autopsy found no signs of trauma, and police said officers saw no signs of foul play.
Tumultuous Relationship
Panettiere and Brian Hickerson had been in a tumultuous relationship for years, with allegations that the 37-year-old aspiring actor physically abused her. He was charged in 2020 with multiple counts of felony abuse and pleaded no contest to two counts of injuring a spouse or partner, serving a short time in jail. He was sentenced to four years of probation, anger management, and Alcoholics Anonymous sessions.
He completed the terms and recently asked a judge to reduce his conviction to misdemeanors; that request was denied Thursday by a Los Angeles judge. Panettiere wrote of Hickerson’s time behind bars in her memoir, “This Is Me,” which came out in May.
“I wanted Brian to be in jail just long enough to scare him, but not long enough where he’d become a worse person,” she wrote. “I needed him to admit his wrongs and change because of them, but I didn’t want to traumatize him in an irreversible way.”
Police Report Details
The heavily redacted police report, attributed to Officer Matthew Bryan, said the responding officer first spoke with Zach Hickerson, who said the unresponsive woman was his brother’s girlfriend. “I observed Zach to be very emotional while EMS were working on Hayden. Brian did not become emotional until EMS declared her officially deceased,” the officer said.
After she was declared dead, the officer escorted the brothers out of the apartment. Brian showed police a bag of medication Panettiere was currently taking; the list of medications is redacted. A search warrant was conducted at the scene. Dispatch audio indicated responders were treating a possible overdose, with CPR in progress, and Narcan was found in the apartment, according to TMZ reporting.
Mother’s Comments
Panettiere’s estranged mother, Lesley Vogel, spoke publicly about her daughter’s death, saying the family had been trying to get rid of Brian Hickerson for quite some time. “This person in her life that we have been trying to get rid of for quite some time was with her at her death and that was Brian Hickerson,” Vogel told NBC News, according to Hello Magazine.
“I think Hayden was an amazingly talented person in so many departments and I think young people who grow up in the entertainment industry — it is a struggle and it’s a very challenging industry and it’s not unusual for them to sadly find the wrong path,” Vogel said.
A Life in the Spotlight
The onetime child star soared to fame in the TV shows “Heroes” and “Nashville” while enduring struggles with alcohol addiction and depression. She would have turned 37 on Friday. Panettiere’s ex-fiancé Wladimir Klitschko, father of her 11-year-old daughter Kaya, posted an emotional tribute on Instagram.
“She built an incredible career through immense talent, while also facing the darker sides of a very demanding industry,” Klitschko said, as reported by BBC News. “Nothing will erase the times we shared or the place she had in our lives.”
A neighbor at the Judson Mill Lofts apartment complex in Greenville told Page Six that residents were shocked to learn the actress had been staying there. “They looked like they were in shock, not speaking, and had their heads down,” the neighbor said, describing the two men sitting outside with police.
What’s Next
The cause and manner of death remain pending further investigation and completion of additional studies, which could take up to eight weeks. The investigation into Panettiere’s death continues, with authorities examining the circumstances surrounding the tragedy that claimed the life of one of Hollywood’s most recognizable stars.