Hayden Panettiere’s Ex-Boyfriend and Years-Long Abuser Received a Visit From Police After Her Death
Police carried out a welfare check on relatives of Brian Hickerson, actress Hayden Panettiere's on-off boyfriend and former abuser, after learning he and his brother Zach had been present at the South Carolina property where she died over the weekend. A redacted police report confirms both men were at the townhouse when paramedics attempted, unsuccessfully, to revive Panettiere, and that Brian Hickerson became visibly distressed as she was treated. The Greenville County Coroner's Office said on Monday that the cause and manner of death remain under investigation, with no obvious signs of trauma found on her body.
According to the report, Zach Hickerson described Panettiere to officers as "his brother's girlfriend," and Brian Hickerson later showed police a bag of medication he said she had been taking. Officers visited the brothers' grandmother's home in Greenville twice on Wednesday, initially getting no answer before returning to conduct a brief welfare check. Panettiere's mother, Lesley Vogel, told NBC News her daughter had "lost her way" with Hickerson, whom the family had long tried to separate her from; he was previously jailed for 45 days after pleading no contest to two felony counts of injuring Panettiere during their turbulent relationship, which began in 2018 and was detailed in her memoir published earlier this year.
- Panettiere's abusive ex-boyfriend was present at her death scene
- Police conducted welfare checks on his family after her death
- Cause of death remains under investigation; no signs of trauma found