Hayden Panettiere was with Brian Hickerson when she died at a South Carolina apartment complex on August 16, according to a police report. She was found unresponsive at Judson Mill Lofts in Greenville. Hickerson, her on-and-off former boyfriend, and his brother Zach were there during the emergency response. The Greenville Police Department report, published by WYFF News 4, says Hickerson showed an officer a bag containing medication Panettiere was taking. Her cause of death has not been confirmed. An autopsy found no trauma, while toxicology testing is pending. An overdose has not been confirmed as her cause of death.
Why was Hayden Panettiere’s ex-boyfriend Brian Hickerson at the scene?
Emergency workers arrived after a call about an “unresponsive female.” Officers found Panettiere with Hickerson and his brother.
Zach was “very emotional while EMS were working on Hayden,” while Brian “did not become emotional until EMS declared her officially deceased,” the report says.
Deep Dive
What were the circumstances surrounding Hayden Panettiere's death?
How did Brian Hickerson respond during the police investigation of Panettiere's death?
What ongoing health issues did Hayden Panettiere face prior to her death?
Hickerson also showed police “the bag of medication Hayden is currently on.”
Dispatch audio obtained by People mentioned “overdose” and “cardiac arrest.” Paramedics tried to revive Panettiere, but she was pronounced dead at the scene.
An autopsy found no signs of trauma. The cause remains undetermined pending toxicology.
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What did Brian Hickerson and his brother tell police?
Panettiere and Hickerson began dating in 2018.
{{/usCountry}}Panettiere and Hickerson began dating in 2018.
{{/usCountry}}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 was ordered to stay away from her.
Panettiere later wrote about the abuse in her memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning. She said one attack was so severe that she stayed home for weeks.
In 2020, she said, “I am prepared to do my part to make sure this man never hurts anyone again.”
She later described the relationship as, “It was brutal. It was traumatic. It was emotional.”
What happened between Hayden Panettiere and Brian Hickerson?
In 2022, Panettiere told People that she and Hickerson had reconnected as friends. “He’s gone to treatment and done his time. And I’m trying to live in a place of forgiveness,” she said.
They were seen together at Los Angeles International Airport in March 2026. Her representative said they were friends, not romantically involved.
Hickerson spoke about Panettiere after her memoir came out in May. He said, “I got arrested for, you know, abusing her, and I wouldn’t blame her friends for being pissed off at me. You never lay hands on a woman, bottom line.”
At the time of Panettiere’s death, it had not been publicly confirmed that they were dating again. The report confirms Hickerson was present, but does not say he caused her death.