New information about Hayden Panettiere’s final moments has emerged after the brother of her on-and-off boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, described what happened when the actress was found unconscious at a South Carolina residence.
Panettiere, known for Heroes, Nashville and the Scream franchise, di*d on August 16, 2026, at age 36. Authorities have not yet announced her official cause or manner of de@th, and the investigation remains active.
Now, Zach Hickerson, Brian’s brother, has spoken publicly about what he says happened before emergency responders arrived.
According to Zach’s account, he arrived at the Greenville residence and discovered Panettiere unconscious. Brian had reportedly been sleeping in another room, and Zach alerted him after realizing something was seriously wrong.
Zach says Brian then administered Narcan, an emergency medication used in suspected opioid-overdose situations. The brothers also attempted CPR while emergency services were being contacted and continued trying to help until first responders arrived.
The revelation answers an important question that had remained unresolved earlier in the investigation.
Reports shortly after Panettiere’s de@th said Narcan and its dispensing device had been discovered inside the residence, but at the time it wasn’t publicly clear who had received it. Zach’s new account specifically claims Panettiere was the person Brian administered it to.
Emergency dispatch communications from that afternoon had also included references to a possible “overdose” and cardiac arrest. However, those initial descriptions should not be confused with an official determination of what caused Panettiere’s de@th.
That distinction remains important.
The Greenville County Coroner’s Office has said Panettiere’s cause and manner of de@th remain pending while additional studies are completed. Her preliminary autopsy reportedly found no trauma contributing to her de@th, and police have said their initial investigation found no indication of foul play or suspicious circumstances.
Investigators are also examining other information gathered from the residence.
According to the police report, Brian showed officers a bag containing medications Panettiere had reportedly been taking. The report did not establish that those medications caused her de@th, and investigators have not publicly identified a specific substance as responsible.
Meanwhile, the investigation has expanded beyond local authorities.
The Drug Enforcement Administration is now assisting in the investigation, although its involvement does not itself prove that Panettiere di*d from an overdose or that anyone committed a crime. Greenville police remain involved as officials work to establish exactly what happened.
Zach has also pushed back against some of the speculation surrounding his brother and Panettiere’s final hours. He said he wanted people to understand that he and Brian attempted to help her after finding her unconscious and asked that conclusions not be drawn before investigators finish their work.
Brian’s presence at the residence has attracted particular attention because of his complicated history with Panettiere. Their relationship began in 2018 and included previous domestic-violence cases involving Hickerson. He pleaded no contest in 2021 to two felony counts connected to one of those cases.
But authorities have not accused Brian Hickerson of causing Panettiere’s de@th, and the preliminary investigation has found no signs of foul play.
The latest revelation therefore provides a clearer timeline without providing the answer everyone is waiting for.
What is now reported is that Panettiere was discovered unconscious, Brian allegedly administered Narcan, the brothers attempted CPR, and emergency responders subsequently continued efforts to save her. She was ultimately pronounced de@d at the residence.
What remains unknown is why she became unresponsive in the first place.
Until the coroner completes the additional testing and officially determines her cause of de@th, reports describing the incident as an overdose remain preliminary.
For now, Zach Hickerson’s account has filled in one major missing piece from Hayden Panettiere’s final moments—but the biggest question surrounding the 36-year-old actress’ sudden passing still has not been officially answered.
