Ex-Boyfriend Present When Actress Hayden Panettiere Found Unresponsive; Police Given Medication Bag

Authorities discovered Brian Hickerson at a Greenville, South Carolina apartment when actress Hayden Panettiere, 36, was found unresponsive on August 16. Hickerson and his brother Zach initiated emergency services after locating the former “Nashville” star, with both men subsequently interviewed by police who executed a search warrant at the residence.

Officers received a bag of medication that Panettiere had allegedly been using, according to the police report obtained by Fox Carolina. Zach Hickerson displayed visible emotional distress as paramedics attempted resuscitation efforts, whereas Brian Hickerson did not exhibit emotional response until Panettiere was pronounced dead.

The pair maintained an intermittent romantic relationship beginning in 2018, following Panettiere’s separation from boxer Wladimir Klitschko. The couple briefly separated in 2022 but reconciled the subsequent year, though their relationship status at the time of her death remained unclear.

Hickerson’s criminal history included a 2019 domestic violence arrest connected to Panettiere, followed by additional charges in 2020 encompassing eight felony counts. In 2021, he entered a no-contest plea to two felony charges stemming from incidents involving Panettiere, with remaining charges dismissed under the plea agreement.

Three days before Panettiere’s death, Hickerson appeared in Los Angeles court seeking reduction of his felony charges. The prosecution objected to the defense’s motions to expunge and reduce the counts, with the court denying both requests on August 13.