Police Swarm Home Linked to Hayden Panettiere’s Boyfriend

Greenville City Police vehicles arrived Wednesday morning at a four-bedroom South Carolina home linked to Hayden Panettiere’s longtime boyfriend and his brother, only days after the 36-year-old actress was found unresponsive following a suspected overdose. Officers conducted what appeared to be a welfare check at the roughly $800,000 property connected to Brian Hickerson and Zachary Hickerson.

Two female officers knocked repeatedly on the front door around 8:30 a.m. but received no answer. They walked around the back of the residence, where curtains remained drawn, before returning to their vehicles and leaving. Police returned a second time within about 90 minutes, again checking the backyard area before departing. Officers declined to identify who the welfare check targeted.

Both Hickerson brothers were reportedly present at the Greenville Airbnb where Panettiere was discovered unresponsive around 1:30 p.m. Sunday. Zachary, 38, found her in a living room chair while Brian, 37, was asleep in a bedroom. The brothers called 911 after failing to wake her. Emergency crews worked for nearly an hour before she was pronounced dead.

Hayden Panettiere's on-and-off boyfriend Brian Hickerson and his brother were at the scene of her death, according to a police report obtained Tuesday by CBS News.

Hickerson and his brother, Zach, made the 911 call that brought first responders to the Greenville, South… pic.twitter.com/kI4PyVWHs5

— CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) August 19, 2026

According to an incident summary, Zachary appeared “very emotional” as first responders attempted to revive the actress. Brian did not become “visibly emotional” until after she was declared deceased. He allegedly showed investigators a “bag of medication” Panettiere had been taking. Dispatch audio described a suspected overdose, and Narcan was reportedly found on a mattress inside the property.

Zachary had been seen at the family home a day earlier and refused to answer questions from reporters. “No comment, bro, and with no offense to you and what you’re trying to do, this is private property,” he said. “Please respect our privacy. I’m not going to answer anything that you ask me. I would appreciate it if you wouldn’t mind just leaving us alone.” Brian has not been seen publicly since the death.

Authorities have not determined an official cause of death. A preliminary coroner’s report noted no signs of trauma, and Greenville police stated the initial investigation found no indication of foul play. The probe remains ongoing pending further testing.

Panettiere’s on-again, off-again relationship with Brian dated to 2018 and was marked by repeated domestic violence allegations. He faced multiple felony charges in 2020 and later pleaded no contest to two felony counts of injuring a spouse or girlfriend, serving 13 days in jail. Panettiere’s mother, Lesley Vogel, stated after the 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 and that was Brian Hickerson.”

The police activity at the Hickerson-linked home adds another layer of questions to a case that continues to unfold as investigators work to determine exactly what caused the actress’s sudden death.