Hayden Panettiere’s mother, Lesley Vogel, has claimed that Brian Hickerson, the late actress’s ex-boyfriend, pawned some of her belongings before her death. Vogel stated in an interview with The New York Times that she was shocked to discover that Hickerson, who filed for bankruptcy in 2022, had pawned items including a vintage guitar.
Vogel also reported that Panettiere herself was surprised to learn that some of her possessions were in Hickerson's storage unit. Another source confirmed to The New York Times that Hickerson had indeed pawned some of Panettiere’s items. Page Six reached out to Hickerson’s attorney, Sloan Ellis, whose team declined to comment beyond a previous statement regarding Panettiere’s death. Ellis' prior statement noted that the investigation into Panettiere's death was ongoing and that police had confirmed no signs of foul play.
Vogel also expressed doubt regarding Hickerson's account of the day Panettiere died. The actress passed away at age 36 in South Carolina from an apparent overdose. Hickerson's brother, Zach Hickerson, who was present at the time, stated that Brian administered Narcan and performed CPR on Panettiere when he found her unresponsive. Narcan, a medication used to reverse opioid overdoses, was reportedly found at the scene.
Brian Hickerson and Panettiere met in 2018, and their relationship was reportedly tumultuous. Panettiere had written about experiencing abuse from Hickerson in her memoir, "This Is Me: A Reckoning." A neighbor of Panettiere's told Page Six that they witnessed firefighters assisting the actress out of her Los Angeles apartment on a gurney on two separate occasions in 2023 and 2024, alleging that Panettiere appeared to have been beaten during these incidents. The neighbor stated that Hickerson was present on both occasions and appeared inseparable from Panettiere.