Hayden Panettiere was found unconscious on a fold-out couch inside an Airbnb in Greenville, South Carolina, on Sunday. Her boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, administered Narcan and both he and his brother performed CPR until fire and EMS crews arrived. They could not save her.
The account came from Zach Hickerson, Brian's younger brother, who wrote to TMZ on Friday to correct what he called misinformation spreading online about what happened that day. According to The Hollywood Reporter, a heavily redacted incident report from the Greenville Police Department had already been released, but Zach wanted to fill in details the report left out.
Zach said he attended a church service Sunday morning and exchanged messages with Brian while he was there. They made plans to get lunch and play indoor golf after the service. When he finished and could not reach either Brian or Panettiere by phone, he drove to the Airbnb where the couple was staying. He did not have the door code, so he knocked loudly. The knock woke his brother.
"When we went in and tried to wake Hayden up for lunch, we realized she was unconscious," Zach wrote in his statement, which TMZ published Friday. "I immediately called 911 and Brian gave her Narcan. We then jointly performed CPR while 911 was on speaker until Fire and EMS arrived. At that point we watched as they tried every measure possible to save her life."
According to the police incident report, Brian Hickerson became very emotional after first responders failed to revive Panettiere. He also showed authorities a bag containing medication he said she had been taking. A Narcan bottle was reported at the scene, and first responders were reported to have discussed an overdose.
Zach said he reached out publicly because he wants to be able to grieve without interference. "There are a lot of assumptions, speculations and accusations currently swirling," he wrote. "The truth will come out as the authorities complete and release additional details from the investigation. And that is important because the people who loved and adored Hayden deserve the truth."
Panettiere was best known for her roles on the NBC series Heroes and the ABC musical drama Nashville. Brian Hickerson had dated her on and off since 2018. He was arrested multiple times during that period for domestic abuse and at one point pleaded no contest to two felony charges stemming from an assault against her.
The investigation into Panettiere's death remains ongoing. Authorities have not yet released a cause of death.
