Boyfriend of Hayden Panettiere was at apartment when actor died

Discovery at the Airbnb

Hayden Panettiere was found unresponsive on August 16 at an Airbnb in South Carolina, where her boyfriend Brian Hickerson and his brother Zach Hickerson were present, according to a police report released on Tuesday and reported by both Fox News and The Guardian. A Greenville police officer who responded to the residence that Sunday afternoon was met by the brothers and 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. Emergency workers declared Panettiere dead at 2:31 p.m.

Zach Hickerson provided a detailed account of the day's events in a statement to TMZ, as reported by Fox News. He said he woke up at his own Airbnb, went to church, and exchanged messages with Brian that morning while planning to meet for lunch and indoor golf after the service. When he could not reach Brian or Hayden afterward, he drove to their Airbnb. Knowing the building code but not the door code, he knocked loudly, which woke Brian from a nap the couple had been taking on a pullout couch in the living room. Upon trying to wake Panettiere for lunch, they found her unconscious. Zach said he immediately called 911 while Brian administered Narcan, and the two then jointly performed CPR with the dispatcher on speaker until fire and EMS personnel arrived. Zach described Panettiere as one of his dearest friends for eight years and expressed that he was heartbroken by the loss.

The police report, as detailed by The Guardian, is heavily redacted, including references to a list of medications and deeper details from the officer's conversation with Brian Hickerson. Fox News reported that the same police account noted Zach appeared "very emotional" while Brian did not become emotional until Panettiere was declared deceased.

Investigation Status

No cause of death has been determined, and the matter remains under investigation. An autopsy found no signs of trauma, and police said officers saw no signs of foul play, according to The Guardian. Brian Hickerson issued a statement through his lawyer, carried by Fox News, affirming that the death remains under investigation and that there were no signs of foul play. Fox News also reported that the Drug Enforcement Administration has been contacted and is assisting with the inquiry.

Panettiere would have turned 37 five days after her death, a detail noted across the coverage.

Relationship Background

Panettiere and Brian Hickerson had been in a tumultuous on-and-off relationship for years. As reported by The Guardian, he was charged in 2020 with multiple counts of felony abuse and pleaded no contest to two counts of injuring a spouse or partner. He served a short time in jail, followed by a sentence of four years of probation along with anger management and Alcoholics Anonymous sessions. After completing the terms, he recently asked a judge to reduce the conviction to misdemeanors; that request was denied on Thursday by a Los Angeles judge. Fox News similarly referenced his previous domestic violence charges and eventual conviction.

In her memoir "This Is Me," released in May, Panettiere wrote about Hickerson's time behind bars. The Guardian quoted her as saying she "wanted Brian to be in jail just long enough to scare him, but not long enough where he'd become a worse person," adding that she needed him to admit his wrongs and change without being traumatized irreversibly. The book also addressed her own struggles, including lifelong scars from early fame, alcohol addiction, and postpartum depression following the birth of her daughter Kaya. Kaya began living full-time with her father, Wladimir Klitschko, in Ukraine when she was two. In a May podcast interview with Jay Shetty, Panettiere described the idea that she had given up her child as a misconception.

Family and Public Responses

Lesley Vogel, Panettiere's mother, publicly raised questions about Brian Hickerson's role in the days after the death, as reported by Fox News. Vogel described him as a "toxic individual" who she believed led to her daughter's death and said the family had tried unsuccessfully to extricate him from Hayden's life. She expressed that questions still surround what happened and noted that he was with her at the time of her death.

Wladimir Klitschko shared a tribute on Instagram following the death, according to Fox News. The message included thanks to fans and reflections on love.

Perspectives

Lesley Vogel has voiced deep concern over Brian Hickerson's influence, characterizing him as toxic and linking him to the circumstances of her daughter's death while underscoring the family's unsuccessful efforts to separate them.

Brian Hickerson, through his lawyer, has stated that the death remains under investigation with no signs of foul play indicated.

Zach Hickerson has presented himself as a longtime friend who responded immediately upon discovering Panettiere unresponsive, emphasizing his desire to counter speculation so that loved ones can grieve without added misinformation.

Official accounts from police and the autopsy findings have stressed the absence of trauma or visible signs of foul play while confirming that the cause of death has not yet been established and the investigation continues with DEA assistance.