Greenville, S.C. – A police report released Tuesday shows that Hayden Panettiere’s on‑and‑off boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, and his brother, Zach Hickerson, were present in the apartment where the actress was found unresponsive on Sunday afternoon.
According to the report, a Greenville officer arrived at the residence and was met by the two brothers. The officer observed paramedics performing CPR on an unresponsive woman. The officer noted that “the patient did not seem to have any obvious physical reasons to be unresponsive.” After emergency personnel completed lifesaving measures, Panettiere was declared dead at 2:31 p.m.
Investigation status
No cause of death has been determined, and the investigation remains ongoing. An autopsy found no signs of trauma, and police reported that officers saw no evidence of foul play at the scene.
Background on the relationship
Panettiere and Brian Hickerson had a tumultuous relationship spanning several years. In 2020, Hickerson was charged with multiple felony abuse counts and pleaded no contest to two counts of injuring a spouse or partner. He served a brief jail term, received four years of probation, and was ordered to attend anger‑management and Alcoholics Anonymous sessions. He later sought to have his convictions reduced to misdemeanors, a request that a Los Angeles judge denied in early August.
In her memoir, “This Is Me,” published in May, Panettiere wrote about her hopes that Hickerson’s time behind bars would prompt change. She expressed a desire to “let go of my resentment” and to forgive him, recalling how they first met at a West Hollywood restaurant in 2018.
Personal struggles
Panettiere, who would have turned 37 on Friday, had been open about her battles with alcohol addiction and postpartum depression following the birth of her daughter, Kaya, with Ukrainian boxer Wladimir Klitschko in 2014. Kaya, now 11, lives full‑time with her father in Ukraine. Panettiere entered rehab in 2015 while filming the television series “Nashville.” She has repeatedly clarified that she never abandoned her child, countering a common misconception.
The actress also endured family hardships. Her parents’ marriage ended, and her younger brother, actor Jansen Panettiere, died of a heart condition in 2023 at age 28.
Police report details
The heavily redacted report indicates that the responding officer first spoke with Zach Hickerson, who identified the unresponsive woman as his brother’s girlfriend. The officer observed Zach to be very emotional while EMS worked on Panettiere; Brian Hickerson became emotional only after the emergency crew declared her deceased. After the declaration, the officer escorted both brothers from the apartment. The officer later spoke with Brian in more depth, but those details remain redacted, as does a list of medications Panettiere had been taking.
Authorities have not released any further information regarding the cause of death, and the case remains under investigation.
Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.
