Zach Hickerson said he called 911 the moment he realized Hayden Panettiere was unconscious at a Greenville, S.C., Airbnb, then stayed on speaker with responders while Narcan was given and CPR was started. He said Brian Hickerson was with him through the effort as Fire and EMS tried to save her life.
The account matters now because Panettiere, 36, died Sunday, and her family has been left to piece together what happened in the final minutes before she died. Zach Hickerson spoke Friday and said he wanted the focus kept on the loss itself, not on the noise that followed it.
He said the day had begun normally enough. After church on Sunday morning, he had planned lunch and indoor golf with his brother and Panettiere. When he could not reach them, he drove to the rental home, knocked loudly and said he apparently woke Brian from a nap they were both taking on the pull-out couch bed in the living room.
That is where the story turns. Zach said that once they understood Panettiere was unconscious, he immediately called 911 and Brian gave her Narcan. He said they worked together on CPR until Fire and EMS arrived, then watched as responders tried every measure possible to save her life. Greenville, S.C., police said Zach was very emotional while paramedics attempted to revive her, while Brian did not become emotional until she was declared dead.
What makes that account harder to read is the wider record around Brian Hickerson. He was arrested in May 2019 in Los Angeles on suspicion of domestic violence against Panettiere, later arrested again on Valentine's Day 2020 in Wyoming on misdemeanor battery charges involving her, indicted on eight counts in July 2020, and later pleaded no contest in April 2021 to two felony counts of injuring a spouse or girlfriend. He was sentenced to 45 days in jail and served 13 days.
Panettiere's death has already drawn fresh criticism from people close to her. Mia Terrazas said she was terrified of Brian and said signs had once been posted at an apartment complex warning passersby to call police if he was seen there. Lesley Vogel also pointed blame toward Brian on Thursday, even as Zach said he was trying to keep attention on the fact that a family had lost someone they loved.
The unanswered question is now narrower and more serious: what exactly happened inside that Greenville rental, and how will investigators sort out the sequence that ended with Panettiere dead and Brian under renewed scrutiny? Zach said the truth would come out as authorities complete and release additional details, and that will determine whether this remains a disputed account or the final public record of her last hours.
