DEA Joins Hayden Panettiere Death Probe at 36 as Brian Hickerson Breaks Silence

Q: Why was Brian Hickerson reportedly unemotional during CPR efforts for Hayden Panettiere, and what does the CCTV reveal?

There is no verified public explanation for why Brian Hickerson reportedly appeared unemotional during CPR. The police report only says he “did not become emotional” until EMS officially declared Hayden Panettiere dead, while his brother Zach Hickerson was described as “very emotional” during the resuscitation effort. Any deeper reason for Brian’s reaction has not been established by investigators or confirmed in the released records. What the CCTV reportedly shows is limited but potentially important for the timeline. According to the incident report, the apartment complex’s courtesy officer told police there was surveillance footage of Panettiere, Brian Hickerson and Zach Hickerson “coming and going” from the property. Investigators were expected to obtain and review that footage as part of the death investigation. So far, authorities have not publicly said that the video shows any struggle, foul play or other suspicious activity. Police and the coroner have said the preliminary investigation found no signs of foul play or suspicious circumstances, and the autopsy found no visible trauma. The official cause and manner of Panettiere’s death remain pending while toxicology and other studies are completed.

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Aug 20

Brian Hickerson, Hayden Panettiere’s on-and-off boyfriend, said through his lawyer that her death remains under investigation and that police found no signs of foul play.
DEA assistance in the case was confirmed Wednesday as Greenville police and the coroner continued reviewing Panettiere’s death after she was found unresponsive and in cardiac arrest Sunday in Greenville, South Carolina.
Preliminary autopsy results found no trauma, and a police report said Hickerson and his brother Zach called 911 after finding the 36-year-old actress unresponsive; Hickerson later gave officers a bag of medication.
Police also executed a search warrant at the apartment and made a welfare-check visit to a South Carolina home linked to the Hickerson brothers, while Greenville police said they will decide later whether any criminal probe is warranted.
The investigation is unfolding against the backdrop of Hickerson’s past domestic-violence convictions tied to Panettiere, including two felony counts he failed to have reduced just three days before her death.