Law enforcement officers visited a South Carolina home connected to Brian Hickerson and his brother Zachary, who were present when actress Hayden Panettiere was found unresponsive at an Airbnb in Greenville on Sunday. The Greenville City Police Department responded to the residence Wednesday morning for a welfare check.
Officers were seen knocking on the front door of the four-bedroom property and, after receiving no answer, checked the rear of the house. They departed after approximately five minutes. Zachary Hickerson was reportedly at the same home a day earlier and declined to comment to reporters, stating it was private property and asking for privacy.
Panettiere, 36, was found unresponsive on an armchair around 1:30 p.m. Sunday. According to reports, Brian Hickerson was asleep in a bedroom at the time. Both brothers called 911 after they were unable to revive Panettiere. Emergency medical services worked on her for nearly an hour before she was pronounced dead.
A coroner's report indicated Panettiere had no signs of trauma, and a full cause of death is pending. A dispatcher's audio of the emergency call mentioned a suspected overdose, and sources told TMZ that Narcan, a medication used to treat opioid overdoses, was found at the property. Brian Hickerson reportedly showed police a bag of medication the actress had been taking.
Panettiere, who was based in Los Angeles, had traveled to Greenville with Brian Hickerson, who is from the area, the day before her death. They were reportedly staying at the Judson Mill Lofts complex. Zachary Hickerson, described as a pastor and founder of an independent church in Nashville, was reportedly emotional during the emergency response, while Brian Hickerson remained stoic until after Panettiere was pronounced dead.
Brian Hickerson's relationship with Panettiere, which began in 2018, was marked by domestic violence incidents. He was arrested multiple times on charges including domestic abuse, assault with a deadly weapon, and dissuading a witness. He pleaded no contest to two felony counts of injuring a spouse or girlfriend in April 2021 and was sentenced to 45 days in jail, four years of probation, and mandatory domestic violence classes. He served 13 days of his jail sentence. Panettiere had previously alleged in her memoir that Brian Hickerson had severely beaten her, causing her to hide injuries for weeks.
In July 2020, Panettiere filed for a restraining order against Brian Hickerson, though the outcome of that request is not clear from court records. Despite past incidents, the couple had reportedly been together recently, with their last public sighting in March. Panettiere's mother, Lesley Vogel, told NBC News that the family had sought to end Brian Hickerson's involvement in her daughter's life.
Reports also emerged that Panettiere had been romantically linked to Zachary Hickerson in 2019, the same year Brian Hickerson faced domestic violence charges. Witnesses reportedly saw the two looking comfortable together in Manhattan. The end date of this relationship is unclear.
Panettiere, who had a daughter, Kaya, with ex-fiancé Wladimir Klitschko, had previously spoken about her decision to cede custody of their child to Klitschko while she battled substance addiction issues. Klitschko paid tribute to Panettiere, calling her an important part of his life and the mother of his daughter. Brian Hickerson has not publicly commented on Panettiere's death.