Ex-boyfriend Brian Hickerson called 911 after finding Hayden Panettiere unresponsive in South Carolina
Police reports say Brian Hickerson and his brother discovered actress Hayden Panettiere unresponsive on Aug. 16 and called emergency services; authorities later searched the apartment and noted Hickerson's prior domestic-violence conviction.
Police records obtained by a news outlet show that Brian Hickerson was present at a Greenville, South Carolina apartment on Aug. 16 when actress Hayden Panettiere was found unresponsive. Hickerson and his brother, Zach, called 911 after discovering her, and both men were interviewed by investigators. A search warrant was later executed at the residence, and paramedics attempted resuscitation before Panettiere was pronounced dead.
The report notes that Zach appeared "very emotional" while paramedics worked, and that Hickerson did not show emotion until the star was declared deceased. Authorities also recovered a bag of medication that Panettiere had reportedly been taking, which was handed over by Hickerson.
Hickerson, who had previously been convicted of felony domestic-violence charges related to Panettiere, had traveled with the actress to South Carolina the day before she was found. Their on-and-off relationship began in 2018 after her split from former fiancé Wladimir Klitschko. The couple briefly separated in 2022 and reportedly rekindled their romance in 2023, though the exact status of the relationship at the time of her death remains unclear.
Legal documents show Hickerson faced multiple domestic-violence charges in 2019 and 2020, pleading no contest to two felonies in 2021. Attempts to reduce those charges were denied by a Los Angeles County court in mid-August, according to a district attorney spokesperson.