Hayden Panettiere Found Dead in South Carolina Apartment

On August 16, Hayden Panettiere was discovered unresponsive in a South Carolina apartment. Her boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, and his brother Zach Hickerson called 911 at approximately 1:51 PM, reporting a cardiac arrest.

Zach identified Panettiere as his brother's girlfriend. While paramedics worked on her, Zach was very emotional, whereas Brian only showed emotion after she was declared deceased at 2:32 PM.

Brian Hickerson has a documented history of domestic violence against Panettiere, including charges from 2019 to 2020, for which he pleaded no contest in 2021 and received a 45-day jail sentence and four years of probation. Just three days before Panettiere's death, a judge denied Hickerson's request to reduce his felony convictions.

First responders administered Narcan at the scene, and an autopsy conducted on August 17 found no signs of trauma. The cause and manner of death remain pending further testing.