The more we learn about Hayden Panettiere’s abusive drunken boyfriend and his brother, the more I wish she had dumped him years ago. As you know, Hayden passed from an apparent drug overdose a month ago. She was visiting South Carolina and staying in a short term rental with her on-again boyfriend, Brian Hickerson. Brian’s brother Zach came over to have lunch with them when he found Brian napping and Hayden unresponsive. They administered Narcan and called 911 but it was too late and EMS could not revive Hayden.
In our last story about Brian and Zach, we reported that Zach had been arrested and Brian detained following a drunken fight at a Wild Wing Cafe. Apparently some patrons were heckling them about Hayden’s death and Brian got mad and threw a stool. The next day Brian and Zach got into an accident on Brian’s motorcycle on the way home from jail. Brian crashed his Suzuki into the back of a car. Zach was thrown from the motorcycle and lost a shoe. Brian then drove off and left Zach on the curb! It’s possible that the paparazzi, which caught the accident on camera, distracted Brian or otherwise provoked the accident. It’s also possible that Brian was too hungover to drive a motorcycle. He was definitely too much of an a-hole to make sure his brother was OK and had a ride home after he crashed his bike.
The DEA has been investigating Hayden’s death. They’ve interviewed Brian and sources tell TMZ that they’re looking into texts Hayden sent to her dealer. The DEA also searched Hayden’s Los Angeles home. A neighbor in Hayden’s condo complex spoke to TMZ. The neighbor said that she saw a person with a bag labeled “Brian” visit Hayden a few days before her death.
Now Brian has spoken out, sort of, about Hayden. A photographer asked him at a gas station how he was doing, and he answered “how do you think I’m doing?” (As an aside I wrote up this whole story after having misread an E! article about a brief video of Brian.) I thought he gave a more measured statement about her, but he didn’t. That earlier statement was from Brian’s lawyer, who wrote “Hayden’s death remains under investigation, and it is important to allow that investigation to proceed. As has been publicly reported, police confirmed there were no signs of foul play. Out of respect for Hayden’s loved ones and the ongoing investigation, there will be no further comment at this time.”
Hayden’s death is still under investigation. Her rep gave a quote to People Magazine saying we’ll have to be patient to get answers about what happened to her:
“As reported yesterday by the Greenville County Coroner’s Office, Hayden’s death remains under investigation pending the completion of toxicology results, despite reports from some outlets stating otherwise,” the statement reads. “Recent reports attributed to unnamed sources are unverified hearsay and have attributed to conflicting information that continues to circulate.”
“While we are all eager to find closure and better understand the circumstances surrounding her passing, we must remain patient and allow the investigative process to unfold,” the statement continued. “The answers we are all seeking will come.”
The statement comes after the Greenville County Coroner’s Office told FOX Carolina on Monday, Sept. 14, “We have not released anything at this time. We will send out an email release when ready.”
Hayden was honored in the In Memoriam section of the Emmys. I hope that other awards shows remember her too. She gave moving performances and she was open about her trauma and physical pain in the months leading up to her death. It looked like she was heading in the right direction before she passed. So many families have similar stories after losing their loved ones to overdoses. Maybe the DEA’s investigation can help prevent another tragedy.
Photos credit: Backgrid
