{
  "id": 1749657,
  "title": "Hayden Panettiere’s Ex-Boyfriend Was at Scene of Death, According to Police Report",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/18/hayden-panettieres-ex-boyfriend-was-at-scene-of-death-according-to",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-18T16:46:23.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Consequence",
    "slug": "consequence",
    "url": "https://consequence.net/2026/08/hayden-panettiere-ex-boyfriend-scene-of-death/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Brian Hickerson, Hayden Panettiere's ex-boyfriend, was present at the South Carolina apartment scene where the 36-year-old actress was found deceased on Sunday, August 16th, according to a police report obtained by NBC News. Hickerson and his brother, Zach Hickerson, were at the apartment when the responding officer and emergency medical services arrived. In the report, Greenville Police Department officer Matthew Bryan described Zach Hickerson as \"very emotional\" while emergency services worked to save Panettiere. The report reveals that Hickerson did not exhibit visible emotional distress until Panettiere was officially pronounced dead. Hickerson handed over a \"bag of medication\" to the police, indicating the drugs Panettiere was reportedly taking at the time of her demise. It remains unclear if he was the individual who dialed 911. On Monday, the Greenville County Coroner's Office confirmed the autopsy results, stating that no evidence of physical trauma was found that could have contributed to the actress's death, leaving her cause of death to be determined through further investigation. Panettiere and Hickerson had a tumultuous on-and-off relationship that started in 2018. Hickerson had been facing multiple allegations of domestic violence during their time together, culminating in a 45-day jail sentence in 2021 for an incident that occurred in July 2020. Although their romantic relationship seemed to have concluded, both Hickerson and Panettiere have since hinted at the possibility of working towards a friendship. Panettiere had discussed some of the abuse endured in her memoir, \"This Is Me: A Reckoning,\" which was published three months prior to her death.",
  "summary": "Brian Hickerson was not visibly emotional until Panettiere was declared dead, according to the report. Hayden Panettiere’s Ex-Boyfriend Was at Scene of Death, According to Police Report Eddie Fu",
  "key_points": [
    "Hayden Panettiere's ex-boyfriend Brian Hickerson was at the scene of her death on August 16th.",
    "Hickerson and his brother were present when police and EMS arrived at the South Carolina apartment.",
    "Hickerson handed over medication to police, but cause of death remains undetermined."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Sky News",
        "title": "Hayden Panettiere's ex-boyfriend was at scene when she died, police report says",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/18/hayden-panettieres-ex-boyfriend-was-at-scene-when-she-died-police",
        "published": "2026-08-18T15:49:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}