Brian Hickerson, the on-off boyfriend of the late Hayden Panettiere, has reportedly been speaking with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) as investigators work to identify a suspected drug dealer in connection with the actress's death. Hickerson was present at the Greenville, South Carolina, condo where Panettiere was found unresponsive on August 16.
Sources told TMZ that federal investigators believe someone supplied Panettiere with drugs that may have led to her death. Authorities are reportedly focusing their efforts on identifying this individual. The DEA's involvement aligns with initial dispatch calls reporting a suspected overdose. First responders discovered Narcan, a medication used to reverse opioid overdoses, at the scene.
Panettiere, 36, was pronounced dead at the Judson Mill Lofts apartment complex in Greenville. While awaiting toxicology results to determine the official cause of death, investigators have reported no signs of trauma that would have contributed to her passing. Both the Greenville Police Department and the coroner's office are conducting parallel investigations.
Panettiere had a history of substance abuse, openly detailing her struggles with alcohol and opiates in her memoir. She spent eight months in rehab in 2020 after being warned by her doctor that her drinking could be fatal within five years. The status of her sobriety at the time of her death remains unclear.
Hickerson has faced multiple domestic violence charges throughout his relationship with Panettiere. In 2021, he served 13 days in jail for injuring her. According to a police report, Hickerson handed authorities a bag of medication belonging to Panettiere after she was declared deceased. His brother, Zachary Hickerson, was also at the scene and was described as emotional, while Brian Hickerson reportedly remained impassive until Panettiere was pronounced dead.
Panettiere voluntarily relinquished custody of her now 11-year-old daughter, Kaya, to her father, Ukrainian boxer Wladimir Klitschko, in 2018 to focus on her recovery. She maintained an amicable co-parenting relationship with Klitschko.
Panettiere's mother, Lesley Vogel, had previously expressed skepticism about the account of her daughter's death provided by Hickerson, describing their bond as a toxic, codependent relationship. Hickerson's legal troubles included a 2021 plea to two felony counts of injuring a spouse or girlfriend, for which he received a jail sentence and probation. He completed his probation on August 1, seeking to have his felony charges reduced to misdemeanors, but his petition was denied by a Los Angeles judge on August 13, just three days before Panettiere's death.