Countless questions have yet to be answered regarding what happened to Hayden Panettiere, who died Aug. 16, but details about her final moments are starting to emerge.
The Nashvilleactress had flown from Los Angeles to South Carolina the day before, accompanied by on-and-off boyfriend Brian Hickerson—and they were on again, according to his brother Zach Hickerson.
Zach was with Brian and Panettiere at the Greenville, S.C., apartment when she was pronounced dead, according to a police incident report obtained by E! News, which noted that Zach advised the responding officer that Panettiere was Brian’s girlfriend.
When the officer arrived, the report detailed, Emergency Medical Services personnel and firefighters were performing CPR on an unresponsive Panettiere.
The emergency team “attempted to perform life-saving methods for an extensive amount of time,” the report continued, during which Zach was “very emotional.” Brian “did not become emotional” until EMS declared Panettiere officially deceased, the report also noted.
Panettiere was pronounced dead at 2:32 p.m., according to the Greenville County Coroner’s Office, which said Aug. 17 that, while cause and manner of death are pending while they await test results, an autopsy found no signs of trauma that would have contributed to the 36-year-old’s death.
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Police Conduct Welfare Check at Brian Hickerson’s Family Home Days After Hayden Panettiere’s Death
Police have also since said that their preliminary investigation showed no signs of trauma or foul play.
E! News reached out to Brian’s attorneys and Zach for comment and has not yet heard back.
Meanwhile, though they hadn’t been spotted together anytime recently, Panettiere and Zach had known one another for years.
The Heroes alum was photographed in New York holding hands with the health care executive turned pastor in September 2019, during a period in which she and Brian were broken up—and Brian was by judge’s order required to stay at least 100 yards away from Panettiere after being arrested on suspicion of domestic violence four months earlier.
At the time, a but had been “relying on [Zach] for additional support.”
The 2019 case against Brian was dismissed, though he was arrested again months later for alleged domestic battery and ended up being sentenced to 45 days in jail after pleading no contest in April 2021 to two felony counts of injuring a spouse or girlfriend.
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Hayden Panettiere and Brian Hickerson: Romance Rewind
But he and Panettiere reunited as friends not long after he was released from custody, with Brian telling E! News at the time, “We have a long history together, and the first step in my recovery as an abuser is making amends. That’s exactly what Hayden has been gracious enough to allow me to do.”
After Brian joined Panettiere at her brother Jansen Panettiere‘s funeral in March 2023, she acknowledged to the New York Times that he was back in the picture, explaining that their relationship was “contingent on him continuing on this road of recovery.”
And both Brian and Zach were with her when she died. Here is what to know about the other Hickerson brother she spent time with:
Who is Zach Hickerson?
Like Brian, Zach is originally from South Carolina. His Instagram bio notes he’s a vice president in healthcare staffing, as well as founder of Acts 321, which is described on its website as an “independent non-denominational church” located in Nashville.
Zach’s bio on the church’s site says he graduated from Furman University in Greenville, and then “after five years in corporate America” opted to pursue his ministry full-time.
Also an avid golfer, Zach’s most recent Instagram post from Aug. 9 featured a video of him hitting balls at an Atlanta driving range with the caption, “Back in the ATL Figuring it out one swing at a time.”
How does Hayden Panettiere know Zach Hickerson?
Panettiere met Zach through his brother Brian, whom she started dating in 2018 and was off and on with for the rest of her life.
“Hayden got to know Brian’s family immediately after they began their relationship,” a”
Was Zach Hickerson with Hayden Panettiere when she died?
Both Zach and Brian were at the Greenville apartment where Panettiere was staying when she was pronounced dead on the afternoon of Aug. 16.
In audio from a 911 call obtained by TMZ and People, the dispatcher can be heard directing medics to the Greenville address, and then an EMS worker mentioning “overdose,” as well as “CPR in progress.”
Zach advised a police officer at the scene that Panettiere was “his brother’s girlfriend,” according to a Greenville City PD incident report obtained by E! News, and was “very emotional” while first responders were attempting life-saving measures on the actress.
The officer escorted Zach and Brian out of the apartment after EMS declared Panettiere dead, the report said.
Read on for everything to know so far about Panettiere’s death:
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images
Police noted in an Aug. 16 release that “the preliminary investigation has not indicated any signs of foul play or suspicious circumstances” around her death.
“This person in her life that we have been trying to get rid of for quite some time was with her at her death,” she told NBC News Aug. 18, “and that was Brian Hickerson.”
While Panettiere—whose brother Jansen died in 2023 at ae 28—and her mom had publicly spoken about their estrangement, Vogel remembered her daughter as “an amazingly talented person in so many departments.””I think young people who grow up in the entertainment industry—it is a struggle and it’s a very challenging industry,” she added, “and it’s not unusual for them to sadly find the wrong path.”Additionally, her ex Wladimir Klitschko addressed his “profound shock and grief” he and their daughter Kaya were facing in the wake of Panettiere’s death. The Ukranian boxer further vowed to keep the Nashville alum’s legacy alive in Kaya’s memory.
