Hayden Panettiere was with Brian Hickerson when he died at his South Carolina apartment complex on August 16, according to a police report. She was found unconscious in the Judson Mill Lofts in Greenville. Hickerson, her ex-boyfriend and her brother Zach were there during the emergency response. Greenville Police Department report, published by WYFF News 4, Hickerson is said to have shown an officer a bag containing Panettiere’s drugs. The cause of his death has not been confirmed. One Autopsy No injuries were found, pending toxicology testing. Overdose has not been confirmed as the cause of her death.
Why was Hayden Panettiere’s ex-boyfriend Brian Hickerson at the scene?
Emergency crews arrived after a call about an “unresponsive female”. Officers found Panettiere with Hickerson and her brother.
“Zach was very emotional while EMS was working on Hayden,” the report said, while Brian “did not become emotional until EMS officially pronounced him dead.”
Hickerson also showed police “the drug bag that Hayden had.”
Dispatch audio received by people mentioned “overdose” and “cardiac arrest.” Paramedics tried to revive Panettiere, but she was pronounced dead at the scene.
The autopsy revealed no signs of trauma. The cause remains uncertain pending toxicology.
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What did Brian Hickerson and his brother tell the police?
Panettiere and Hickerson started dating In 2018.
In 2021, Hickerson pleaded no contest to two felony counts of injuring a spouse or girlfriend in cases involving Panettiere. He was sentenced to jail and probation and ordered to stay away from her.
Panettiere later wrote about abuse In his memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning. She said one attack was so severe that she stayed home for weeks.
In 2020, she said, “I’m ready to do my part to make sure this man never hurts anyone again.”
He later described the relationship as, “It was brutal. It was painful. It was emotional.”
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What happened between Hayden Panettiere and Brian Hickerson?
In 2022, Panettiere told People that she and Hickerson had reconnected as friends. “He went to treatment and did his time. And I’m trying to stay in a place of forgiveness,” she said.
They were seen together at Los Angeles International Airport in March 2026. Their representative stated that they were friends, not romantically involved.
Hickerson spoke out about Panettiere after her memoir came out in May. He said, “I’ve been arrested for abusing her, you know, and I wouldn’t blame her friends for being mad at me. You never put your hands on a woman, basic thing.”
At the time of Panettiere’s death, it was not publicly confirmed that they were dating again. The report confirms that Hickerson was present, but does not say that he caused her death.