Actress Hayden Panettiere was found dead in an apartment in Greenville, South Carolina, on Sunday afternoon, three months after expressing a desire to define herself beyond her past tragedies. Her death, at age 36, has left friends and family with numerous unanswered questions regarding the circumstances.
Panettiere is believed to have traveled from her Los Angeles home to Greenville, the hometown of her on-off boyfriend Brian Hickerson, 37. While they were reportedly registered as living together in Los Angeles, some reports suggest Hickerson was residing in Greenville, where Panettiere's body was discovered in an Airbnb rental at the Judson Mill Loft apartment complex.
On the night before Panettiere's death, her former "Nashville" co-star Charles Esten performed at The Foundry at Judson Mill, a music venue within the same complex. Esten posted on Facebook that he and his wife did not see Panettiere during their visit and described her presence in the area the following day as a "strange coincidence." He expressed regret that they did not have the opportunity to meet.
Brian Hickerson's brother, Zach Hickerson, 38, was present in the apartment when Panettiere was found unresponsive in an armchair around 1:30 p.m. on Sunday. Brian Hickerson was reportedly asleep in a bedroom at the time. The Greenville police report states Zach Hickerson was described as "very emotional" while medics attempted CPR, telling police Panettiere was his brother's girlfriend. Brian Hickerson's demeanor reportedly changed only after she was declared deceased.
Two ambulances were seen at the apartment complex, though the 911 call audio indicated only one person required medical assistance. Both ambulances departed without transporting anyone, and a coroner's van later arrived to remove Panettiere's body.
The 911 dispatcher mentioned a suspected overdose, and Brian Hickerson reportedly showed police a bag of medication Panettiere was taking. Toxicology reports are expected in approximately eight weeks. Panettiere had been open about her struggles with addiction, including alcohol and drug use, which began in her teenage years. She discussed receiving "happy pills" to appear energetic for interviews and later turned to alcohol following postpartum depression after the birth of her daughter, Kaya, in 2014. She also spoke of opioid use for a neck injury that escalated due to a high tolerance.
In 2018, Panettiere relinquished custody of Kaya to her father, boxer Wladimir Klitschko, and underwent an eight-month rehabilitation program in 2020. Her brother, Jansen Panettiere, died at age 28 in 2023; his cause of death was a heart condition, though he had reportedly struggled with substance abuse. The presence of Narcan beside Panettiere on the mattress suggests opioids may have been involved in her death.
Panettiere and Brian Hickerson had a tumultuous relationship characterized by multiple domestic violence arrests for Hickerson, beginning in 2019. Her mother stated that Hickerson was someone they had been trying to distance Panettiere from. Despite obtaining a restraining order against him in 2020, Panettiere reconciled with Hickerson. Friends indicated that if he was back in her life, it was something she kept private, possibly due to shame or the desire to avoid judgment.
Hickerson has not yet commented on Panettiere's death. IMAGE2 IMAGE3
