American actress Hayden Panettiere was found dead at the age of 36 on Sunday afternoon inside a rental home in Greenville, South Carolina, where she was staying alongside her boyfriend Brian Hickerson and his brother Zach Hickerson. Panettiere was an acclaimed actress best known for her prominent television roles in the series Heroes and Nashville.
Emergency responders arrived at the Airbnb property at approximately 1:50 p.m. following emergency calls, according to police records cited by the New York Post. Upon arrival, officers discovered paramedics and firefighters performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation on the unresponsive actress. The initial police report noted that Panettiere showed no visible external injuries to explain her state, and medical personnel officially pronounced her dead at 2:32 p.m.
According to the police report, officers noted differing reactions from the two brothers at the scene. Zach Hickerson was described as very emotionally charged as emergency crews worked to save the actress. Brian Hickerson initially did not appear particularly upset, but he exhibited an intense emotional reaction once authorities announced that Panettiere had died.
Medications Found at Scene
Brian Hickerson showed responding officers a bag of medications that Panettiere had been taking leading up to her death. While the specific list of drugs was redacted from the publicly released police documentation, news reports indicated that the bag contained nine distinct prescription medications. Officers also located Narcan at the residence, an emergency nasal spray formulation of naloxone used to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. Police emphasized that finding Narcan at the scene does not in itself establish that an overdose caused her death.
A formal autopsy was conducted on Monday. Forensic authorities in South Carolina stated that full toxicology testing could take up to 12 weeks to complete before investigators have a definitive understanding of the cause of death.
Recent Reconnection in Los Angeles
Panettiere and Brian Hickerson had reconnected approximately two weeks prior to her death, according to reporting by Page Six. A source stated that the pair spent roughly a week together in Los Angeles before traveling across the country to South Carolina, which is the hometown of both Brian and Zach Hickerson. The source added that their relationship during this period did not appear to be explicitly romantic.
The sudden return of Brian Hickerson into the life of the actress raised immediate concerns among those in her personal circle. A second source disclosed that several of her close friends were completely unaware that the two had resumed contact in the weeks before her death.
History of Domestic Abuse Charges
The couple shared a volatile relationship that repeatedly involved law enforcement intervention dating back to 2018 following allegations of domestic violence. Brian Hickerson was first arrested in Hollywood in May 2019 and charged with felony domestic violence. He pleaded not guilty to the charge, and prosecutors ultimately dismissed the case several months later.
Additional allegations arose regarding incidents in late 2019 and early 2020. In February 2020, Hickerson was arrested again in Wyoming after police received a report that he had struck Panettiere in the face. Los Angeles County prosecutors subsequently filed a series of domestic violence charges against him in July 2020.
In April 2021, Hickerson entered a plea of no contest to two felony counts of inflicting corporal injury on a spouse or cohabitant, leading prosecutors to drop the remaining charges. He was sentenced to serve 45 days in county jail, placed on four years of formal probation, and ordered to complete a mandatory domestic violence treatment program alongside other court requirements.
Public Statements on Their Relationship
Panettiere had previously spoken openly about her complex personal life and her history with Hickerson. In her book, This Is Me: A Reckoning, she described a persistent cycle of walking away from the relationship only to return. During an appearance on the podcast On Purpose with Jay Shetty, she reflected on her deep fear of loneliness and her ongoing effort to believe that Hickerson was capable of changing his behavior.
Hickerson also addressed their past publicly during a subsequent interview with TMZ. He admitted in broad terms to having been abusive toward her, acknowledged his struggles with addiction, and expressed deep regret over his past treatment of the actress. South Carolina authorities continue to await full toxicology results as their investigation remains ongoing.
