Panettiere died August 16, days shy of her 37th birthday
I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice
The brother of Hayden Panettiere’s on-off boyfriend Brian Hickerson has spoken out days after the Nashville star’s death.
Panettiere died August 16 at an apartment in Greenville, South Carolina, aged 36. A cause of death has not yet been revealed.
Zach Hickerson, 38, spoke Friday on what would have been the Heroes star’s 37th birthday, sharing how he and Brian found Panettiere unconscious. He claimed that the trio had plans to get lunch and go indoor golfing Sunday before tragedy struck.
“When I left church I called and texted both of them. When I didn’t reach Brian or Hayden, I just assumed maybe they fell back asleep so I drove over and went to the Airbnb. When I got there I knew the code to the building but not the door code to the AirBnb,” Zach told TMZ.
“I knocked loudly which apparently woke Brian up from a nap they were both taking on the pull out couch bed in the living room. When we went in and tried to wake Hayden up for lunch, we realized she was unconscious.”
Zach also claimed to the outlet that “Brian gave her Narcan,” the medication commonly administered to offset an opioid overdose.
According to a police incident report viewed by The Independent, Brian and Zach called 911 when they realized Panettiere was unconscious. Officers recorded that Zach was emotional as emergency services worked to save Panettiere’s life, but that Brian only became emotional after she was officially declared dead. The report also stated that Brian turned over a “bag of medication” belonging to Panettiere to investigators. The names of the medications were redacted.
A cause of death has not been revealed, but an autopsy showed no signs of trauma.
Panettiere’s death is being investigated.
ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.
One day after police reportedly began probing whether there could be criminal conduct behind Panettiere’s death, Brian broke his silence via his lawyer, saying, in part, “it is important to allow that investigation to proceed.”
That now reportedly involves the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, who joined the investigation into Panettiere’s death on Wednesday, according to a person familiar with the case who spoke to The New York Times.
Panettiere’s death was confirmed in a statement released by her father.