Hayden Panettiere's secret lover, boyfriend Brian Hickerson's brother, ‘got very emotional’ as she lay dying, while Brian ‘did not’ until she was declared dead; both brothers were at the scene

Hayden Panettiere’s final moments are under renewed scrutiny after a police report revealed that both brothers from her complicated relationship history, her on-off boyfriend Brian Hickerson and his older brother Zach, were present when the actress was found unresponsive at a South Carolina apartment. According to details reported by the Daily Mail from the heavily redacted police report, Zach became “very emotional” as emergency responders tried to revive Panettiere, while Brian was described as not visibly emotional until after she was pronounced dead.

The revelation comes as the Daily Mail reports that Panettiere was previously romantically linked to Zach, during a period when Brian was facing domestic-violence proceedings. The two were photographed holding hands in New York in September 2019, although contemporary reporting at the time disputed that they were dating.

Panettiere died aged 36 on August 16 after being found unresponsive at a luxury apartment complex in Greenville, South Carolina.

What happened inside the apartment?

According to TMZ, Zach was the person who arrived at the rental property and found Panettiere unresponsive in a living-room armchair at approximately 1:30 pm.

Both brothers called 911 after they were unable to wake her, according to the report. Emergency medical personnel then attempted to revive the actress for almost an hour before she was pronounced dead.

The Daily Mail reported that the police document described Zach as “very emotional” while first responders worked on Panettiere. Brian, meanwhile, was described as initially not visibly emotional, with officers observing a change only after Panettiere was declared dead.

Medication was found at the property

The police report also contained details about medication. Brian showed officers a bag containing medication Panettiere had reportedly been taking. According to TMZ, emergency dispatch audio reportedly included a reference to a suspected overdose, while Narcan, a medication used to reverse opioid overdoses, was reportedly found at the property.

However, these details do not establish that Panettiere died from an overdose. The coroner's report said Panettiere was found unresponsive inside the residence and had no signs of trauma. Her definitive cause and manner of death remain pending.

The secret relationship claim involving Zach

The circumstances surrounding Panettiere's death have brought renewed attention to her connection with Zach Hickerson.

Brian was Panettiere's on-off boyfriend from 2018 onward. Their relationship became deeply troubled amid domestic-violence allegations and legal proceedings against him.

During one of their separations in 2019, Panettiere was photographed walking hand-in-hand with Zach in New York's SoHo neighbourhood. The images immediately generated speculation that the actress had become involved with her boyfriend's older brother.

At the time, however, Entertainment Tonight cited a source who denied that Panettiere and Zach were dating, describing them as friends. The Daily Mail has now reported, based on its own sources, that the pair were romantically linked.

Panettiere's mother breaks silence

Panettiere's mother, Lesley Vogel, has since spoken publicly about the family's concerns over Hickerson.

In comments to NBC News following her daughter's death, Vogel said the family had spent considerable time trying to remove Brian from Panettiere's life and expressed distress that he was present when her daughter died.

“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. There is a lot of history in the past that Brian has enabled Hayden many times and this is why her father and I had been concerned for a long time about him,” said Vogel to NBC.

Brian has not publicly commented on Panettiere's death.

Wladimir Klitschko pays tribute

Panettiere's former fiancé and Kaya's father, Wladimir Klitschko, released an emotional statement after her death.

He described her as an important part of his life and the mother of their daughter, saying her death had left the family in “profound shock and grief.” He also promised to speak about Panettiere with respect so that Kaya would remember her mother.

Panettiere had spoken publicly about her struggles with addiction and postpartum depression and about the difficult decision to allow Klitschko to take primary custody of Kaya while she sought treatment.