Hayden Panettiere's Ex-Boyfriend Was at the Scene of Her Death
Police report reveals Brian Hickerson and his brother were in the South Carolina apartment where the actress suffered cardiac arrest. Autopsy found no signs of trauma.
Police report reveals Brian Hickerson and his brother were in the South Carolina apartment where the actress suffered cardiac arrest. Autopsy found no signs of trauma.
A police report confirms that Brian Hickerson, Hayden Panettiere's ex-boyfriend, was at the scene of her death. According to the report obtained by NBC News on August 18, 2026, Brian and his brother Zach Hickerson were in the apartment of a residential complex in South Carolina where the actress suffered cardiac arrest on August 16.
The report also states that Brian told police that Hayden had been taking a "bag of medications" before her death. E! News reached out to Brian for comment but did not receive a response. Police had previously confirmed there were no immediate signs of criminal activity, and an autopsy conducted on August 17 by the Greenville County Coroner's Office found no signs of trauma contributing to the death.
A new detail from the police report obtained by E! News reveals that an officer who arrived at the scene on August 15 spoke with Zach Hickerson, Brian's brother. Zach told police that Hayden was his brother's girlfriend. This statement confirms that Hayden and Brian were back in a romantic relationship at the time of her death, although Hayden had told E! News in May that she was single.
Following the actress's death, her mother, Lesley Vogel, also spoke out. In a statement to NBC News, she claimed that Hickerson was a person in her daughter's life that the family had long been trying to get rid of. Brian Hickerson has not publicly responded to these allegations.
The day before her death, Brian accompanied Hayden during her trip from California to his native South Carolina, E! News has learned. Just one day later, Greenville police responded to a call about an "unconscious woman," later identified as Hayden.
Five months before the tragic death, Hayden and Brian were rarely seen together in public, leaving Los Angeles International Airport, according to photos obtained by TMZ. At the time, she was using crutches and said in a video: "I just had a pinched nerve in my lower back, but I feel good."
Hayden and Brian's relationship, with the real estate agent, began in 2018. They broke up in 2020 after a domestic violence incident that led to his arrest. Brian pleaded guilty to two felony counts of injuring a spouse or girlfriend, according to the district attorney's office, and was sentenced to 45 days in jail, according to court documents obtained by E! News.
After his release from prison, Brian spoke to E! News in 2021 about his recovery: "The first step in my recovery as an abuser is redemption. That's exactly what Hayden was gracious enough to allow me." Although rumors of reconciliation surfaced in 2022, Hayden hinted in a 2023 interview with The New York Times that their relationship had changed. "There are feelings, yes," she said, adding that their friendship was "conditional on him continuing on that path of recovery" and that she hadn't taken anything lightly.
Hayden's father, Skip Panettiere, whose younger son Jansen died in 2023 at age 28, confirmed her death on August 16. "She was an incredible light," he told People, "and a force of nature who brought immense love and joy to everyone who knew her, and to the millions who watched her on screen."
Numerous stars paid tribute to the actress known for her roles in Heroes and Nashville. Connie Britton, her Nashville co-star, wrote on Instagram: "This was Hayden. Full of shine, so radiant. I have no words for this sad song. Just a broken heart. I love you, girl. Sleep peacefully now." Jenna Ortega shared on her Instagram Story: "This is such a devastating loss. Rest in peace."
Kim Cattrall, who played Hayden's mother in the 2005 film Ice Princess, wrote: "Rest in peace, sweet Hayden. You left too soon." Matt Lanter, her co-star in Commander in Chief and Heroes, recalled their shared moments: "We always had a great time on set and laughed a lot... Man, too young."
Alyssa Milano highlighted her activism: "Perhaps quietly powerful, she spoke openly about what many are taught to hide: domestic violence, postpartum depression, addiction, recovery, and abuse." She added: "Her activism wasn't polished or performative. It was instinctive, human, sometimes messy, often vulnerable, and always sincere."
SAG-AFTRA, the actors' union Hayden joined in 1994 at age 4, released a statement: "We join in mourning the sudden death of Hayden Panettiere. Our hearts are with her daughter, family, friends, and fans." Hayden is survived by her 11-year-old daughter Kaya, whom she had with her ex-fiancé Wladimir Klitschko. Viola Davis, who starred with Hayden in the 2016 film Custody, wrote: "I saw this beautiful Phoenix rise from the ashes. Your trials became your testimony, and your testimony became your legacy." Selma Blair wrote in an emotional post: "I love you. Don't disappear. Don't disappear. Please. Please."
