By The Daily Caller (U.S.) | Created at 2026-08-19 00:36:30 | Updated at 2026-08-20 03:35:05
1 day ago
Hayden Panettiere’s boyfriend and his brother were reportedly on-scene when the actress was found dead Sunday.
A heavily redacted police report said that Brian Hickerson, Panettiere’s on-and-off boyfriend of several years, and his brother, Zach Hickerson, were at the apartment when responding officers arrived, according to NBC News.
The responding officer, Matthew Bryan, said Zach was “very emotional” while medics were “working on Hayden,” but noted that Brian did not become visibly emotional until medics declared Panettiere dead, according to NBC.
The police report said that Brian produced a “bag of medication” that he said Panettiere was taking at the time of her death. The types of medications were not disclosed, but TMZ reported that the bag appeared to contain nine different medications.
Officials said an autopsy has been completed and “no signs of trauma were discovered that would have contributed to the death,” according to NBC.
Police said an acquaintance called 911 and reported Panettiere unresponsive, but did not disclose the caller’s name.
Panettiere and Brian Hickerson’s relationship appeared to have ended in 2020 amid allegations of domestic abuse. Panettiere later detailed their tumultuous relationship in her memoir “This Is Me: A Reckoning,” released in May.
Shortly after the star’s death, Page Six reported that the pair reconnected shortly before Panettiere’s death, but kept the status of their relationship private. (RELATED: Did Hollywood Kill Hayden Panettiere?)
A judge denied Hickerson’s request to reduce his past felony charges just three days before Panettiere’s death. He pleaded no contest to two felony charges of injuring a spouse or girlfriend in April 2021, according to Page Six.
The outlet reported that the charges stemmed from a series of incidents involving Panettiere between May 2019 and January 2020.
