Former child actress Hayden Panettiere was found dead following a suspected overdose at a South Carolina apartment where her on-off boyfriend Brian Hickerson was staying.
The 37-year-old real estate agent, who was arrested for domestic violence multiple times during their relationship, was pictured outside his grandmother's house in South Carolina on Tuesday. Hickerson was present at the scene when the 36-year-old actress was pronounced dead on Sunday in Greenville, South Carolina.
According to a recording of the 911 call obtained by the Daily Mail, Panettiere was described as unresponsive and in cardiac arrest after a suspected overdose inside the apartment. Police confirmed that Hickerson and his brother, Zach Hickerson, were both inside the residence with the actress. An officer at the scene stated that Zach was very emotional during the distressing scene, but Hickerson showed no visible upset until Panettiere was officially declared dead.
A redacted police incident report from the scene obtained on Tuesday referred to Panettiere as Hickerson's girlfriend. Hickerson allegedly showed responding officers a bag of medication that Panettiere had been taking at the time of her death. Narcan, a nasal spray used to reverse the effects of opioid overdoses, was also reportedly found inside the apartment while an investigation into her death remains ongoing.
Panettiere's father, Alan Lee "Skip" Panettiere, confirmed her death in a statement released on Sunday, announcing the "tragic passing of our beloved Hayden." He described his daughter as "an incredible light and a force of nature who brought immeasurable love and joy to all who knew her, and to the millions who watched her onscreen."
Her estranged mother, Lesley Vogel, spoke to NBC News on Tuesday, stating she "always knew they were together" despite public reports of them being on and off. Vogel took the opportunity to cast blame on Hickerson, saying "this person in her life that we have been trying to get rid of for quite some time was with her at her death and that was Brian Hickerson." She added that "there is a lot of history in the past that Brian has enabled Hayden many times and this is why her father and I had been concerned for a long time about him." Vogel added that her daughter had "sadly lost her way," stating that she "wish it were different" and wished her daughter had "stayed true to herself because she had many incredible attributes."
Court records expose history of domestic abuse
Following Panettiere's death, details have re-emerged regarding intimidating text messages Hickerson allegedly sent the actress during the summer of 2020. At the time, Hickerson, an aspiring actor, was facing multiple domestic violence charges stemming from alleged incidents with Panettiere. Police said Hickerson attempted to influence her into dropping the charges by warning that he held a trove of damaging information ready to use against her.
In messages read aloud in district court during a February 2021 preliminary hearing in Wyoming, Hickerson allegedly texted Panettiere, "It is very simple, it is a very simple fix, between me and you, you gotta make one phone call." Another message read, "Time to go to war, I guess." Hickerson ultimately pleaded no contest in 2021 to two felony counts of injuring a spouse or girlfriend, while six other counts were dropped. He was sentenced to 45 days in jail, serving 33 days, alongside four years of probation, $500 in fines, and mandatory domestic violence classes.
In her memoir, "This Is Me: A Reckoning," published in May 2026, Panettiere detailed years of violent abuse, writing of one incident where Hickerson "[busted] up my face so badly I [didn't] leave the house for weeks." Despite this, Hickerson shared only kind words about the actress upon the book's publication, which insiders suggested was a subtle sign that their relationship timeline was far blurrier than suspected.
On Monday, TMZ reported that Panettiere had kept their reconciliation a secret to protect her memoir. Friends and insiders expressed regret that those close to her did very little to convince her to sever ties with Hickerson. An insider exclusively told the Daily Mail that "many people close to her didn't think Brian was great, but nobody got through to her enough for her to end the relationship completely," adding that "she didn't have anyone who was her wake-up call."
A second insider shared that Hickerson was widely unliked by Panettiere's friends, who often "made comments that she needed to get away from him." The source noted that Panettiere had confided in people and that "there were so many people that tried to get her away from him but she kept going back," describing the dynamic as "one of those trauma bonds" and a "vicious cycle." A third source added that "everyone knew she was still seeing Brian [Hickerson], but no one knew if it was serious" because "she didn't like to talk about him," describing Hickerson as a "dirt bag."
Panettiere first met Hickerson at a Los Angeles bar in 2018 when she was newly single and recently out of rehab. At the time, Panettiere had relinquished full custody of her three-year-old daughter, Kaya, to her ex-fiance, Ukrainian boxer Wladimir Klitschko, as her struggles with postpartum depression and addiction to opioids and alcohol made motherhood an impossible struggle.
In her memoir, Panettiere recalled being swept off her feet "at lightning speed" by Hickerson, who had only one small acting credit from 2017 to his name. Within weeks, the couple were living together at her Los Angeles home, dancing in her living room, redecorating, playing board games, and watching "practically every Netflix series ever made." Panettiere wrote that she "finally began to feel beautiful again" and started to "feel safe, loved and cherished," describing them as "two best friends living together under one roof."
A timeline of arrests and financial trouble
Chris Applebaum, who directed the music video for Panettiere's 2008 song "Wake Up Call," told the Daily Mail that Hickerson's abusive behavior was an open secret to her friends and family. Applebaum stated, "I knew about [Brian], but I never crossed paths with him. I knew all about him and how he was so abusive and horrible, and we know what happens in those kinds of relationships. The victim will always protect the abuser, and there's horrible dynamics in that way."
Hickerson was first arrested in Los Angeles and charged with felony domestic violence in May 2019. He was released on bail and pleaded not guilty later that month, before the case was dismissed at the end of September. On Valentine's Day in February 2020, Hickerson was arrested for domestic battery in Wyoming following a physical altercation with Panettiere, to which he pleaded not guilty in April of that year.
In July 2020, Panettiere obtained a restraining order against Hickerson, issuing a public statement hoping to inspire others to walk away from abusive partners. Three months later, in October 2020, Hickerson was arrested on seven felony charges and one misdemeanor charge for incidents between May 2019 and January 2020, including one count of dissuading a witness from prosecuting a crime.
Following his domestic violence arrests, Hickerson faced severe financial difficulties, filing for bankruptcy in July 2022. Court documents obtained by the Daily Mail listed his total assets as $25,700 and his liabilities at nearly $60,000. Hickerson reported having only $6,250 in his checking account, with personal property consisting of an iPhone, a printer, $2,000 in clothing, and $100 in jewelry. His debt included nearly $20,000 in credit card expenses and about $18,000 in medical bills before the case was later closed.
Panettiere was open about her long history of substance abuse, revealing she began taking "happy pills" as early as 15 years old before her addiction worsened during her battle with postpartum depression. In 2020, she entered a treatment center for an eight-month rehab stint, later describing her sobriety journey as an "everyday battle." While her sobriety status on the day of her death remains unclear, police recovered medication and Narcan at the scene.
In March 2022, Panettiere was knocked to the ground while trying to break up a fight between Hickerson and patrons outside the Sunset Marquis hotel in Los Angeles. At one point during the altercation, Panettiere appeared to yell "Brian, jail!" in a possible attempt to warn Hickerson about violating his probation terms.
Reconciliation attempts and final legal petitions
In 2023, Panettiere told the New York Times that she and Hickerson had recently become sober and reconnected as friends, admitting that "there are feelings there, yes." The pair were photographed traveling side-by-side at Los Angeles Airport in March 2026. Two months later, Hickerson made statements to TMZ acknowledging his past abuse and expressing a desire to marry her.
Hickerson told TMZ in May 2026, "Man, I mean, I think it speaks for itself… I got arrested for abusing her. And I wouldn't blame her friends for being pissed off at me… I had a lot to drink and I got physical with her. I got arrested. I spent the night in jail and that's just what happens when you lay hands on women." Hickerson said he "had a couple opportunities to apologize," adding, "Our relationship now is… I think it's just a mutual respect thing. She'll always hold a special place in my heart and, you know, I hope the same for her. We're just good buddies." He added that he "of course" thought about marrying her but admitted they "probably wouldn't be good together."
When asked about Hickerson's marriage comments during a May 2026 book signing in New York City for her memoir, Panettiere scoffed at the idea, telling TMZ, "I don't think that's going to happen."
Nearly one month before Panettiere's death, Hickerson made legal moves to alter his criminal record. Court documents obtained by the Daily Mail show he filed a petition with the Los Angeles County Superior Court to reduce his felony charges to misdemeanors. Hickerson completed his four-year probation on August 1 after attending weekly Alcoholics Anonymous meetings at a rate of at least one per week and completing 26 anger management sessions. However, on August 13, a Los Angeles judge denied Hickerson's petition to expunge his record, just three days before Panettiere was found dead in Greenville.
