Mia Terrazas, Hayden Panettiere’s next-door neighbor in West Hollywood, says she was “terrified” of the actress’s on-again, off-again boyfriend Brian Hickerson and called 911 multiple times over disturbances at the condo.
Terrazas, who lived one door down from Panettiere’s California residence, told Inside Edition she repeatedly contacted police about alleged disturbances involving Hickerson. The neighbor’s fear was shared by the building’s Homeowners Association, which posted a warning flyer with Hickerson’s photo at the end of August 2025 urging residents to call 911 if they spotted him on the property and explicitly instructing them not to grant him access into the building.
The flyer, which remained posted for about a week, warned that “this individual has been seen trespassing the common areas and hallways” and directed residents to “please… Not grant him access into the building,” Terrazas said she was told Hickerson was no longer considered a threat after the flyer came down, yet she claimed he had been living in Panettiere’s condo for the last two years despite the protective order and community warnings.
Hickerson, 35, has been romantically linked to Panettiere since 2018. In 2021, he pleaded no contest to two felony counts of injuring a spouse or girlfriend after multiple arrests over incidents involving the actress. He was sentenced to 45 days in jail, four years of formal probation, 52 domestic violence classes and $500 in restitution. Panettiere was granted a five-year protective order.
Panettiere addressed her capacity for forgiveness in a 2022 People interview, explaining, “I am open to people who are willing to get help and make amends. He’s gone to treatment and done his time. And I’m trying to live in a place of forgiveness.”
Despite this, Hickerson maintained hope for reconciliation. In a May TMZ interview conducted while Panettiere promoted her memoir “This Is Me: A Reckoning,” he called his ex a “good buddy” and “friend,” adding, “I hope” of marrying Panettiere “one day” but acknowledging she “probably didn’t think the same way.” When TMZ caught up with Panettiere at LAX around the same period and asked about Hickerson’s marriage hopes, she laughed and made clear she did not think it would happen.
Hickerson also admitted to major regrets about their relationship, telling TMZ he went into “such a dark place” involving drugs and alcohol during their time together. He described their dynamic as a friendship built on mutual respect, though he added bluntly, “I miss Hayden every day.”
The pair reconnected two weeks before Panettiere’s passing, with the former child star reportedly keeping her pals “in the dark” due to “shame.” They flew from Los Angeles to South Carolina on Saturday, with Hickerson present when Panettiere died the following day of an apparent overdose. Zach Hickerson reportedly found her body while his brother slept in another room.
In the viral moment that preceded her death, Panettiere had been open in her memoir about the abusive relationship with Hickerson, detailing the violence and control she endured. The book’s release marked a period of renewed public scrutiny of their history, even as Hickerson publicly positioned himself as a supportive friend. The actress’s death at 36 came just after a judge refused to expunge and reduce Hickerson’s felony charges to a misdemeanor, a legal blow he was dealt in Los Angeles before the South Carolina trip.
Her cause of death is not yet known, and while there are no signs of foul play, the Drug Enforcement Administration has joined the investigation. Officers were seen arriving at Hickerson’s family home days after Panettiere’s death.
The National Domestic Violence Hotline can be reached at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or by texting START to 88788.
Panettiere’s autopsy results are pending as investigators continue examining the circumstances of her death.