Greenville Police officers visited the grandmother’s home of Brian Hickerson, 35, and his brother Zach Hickerson, 38, on Wednesday morning, days after Hayden Panettiere was found dead at a nearby apartment.
Two GPD vehicles arrived at the property belonging to Betty Ellison at 8:20 a.m. Wednesday. An officer repeatedly knocked on the front door but received no response, while a colleague simultaneously tried the side door. The officers departed after approximately three minutes. Ellison’s four-bedroom home, which had its blinds closed all morning, sits about five miles from the Judson Mill Lofts apartment complex where Panettiere, 36, died Sunday afternoon.
Zach, 38, had been photographed at the grandmother’s home on Tuesday, according to reports. The property visit came as investigators continue probing the circumstances of the “Heroes” and “Nashville” star’s death, which authorities have described as a suspected overdose.
Police have confirmed that Brian Hickerson and his brother were with Panettiere during her final moments at the Judson Mill Lofts apartment. The unit was an Airbnb where the brothers had been staying, sources told outlets. Panettiere had flown from Los Angeles to South Carolina with Brian on Saturday, just one day before she died.
An acquaintance of Panettiere placed the 911 call at 1:51 p.m. Sunday, reporting an unresponsive female in cardiac arrest. Dispatch audio captured officials discussing an “overdose” as paramedics rushed to the scene. First responders administered advanced cardiac life support and chest compressions, but Panettiere was pronounced dead at 2:32 p.m.
“It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden,” her father, Skip Panettiere, said in a statement. “She was an incredible light and a force of nature who brought immeasurable love and joy to all who knew her — and to the millions who watched her onscreen.”
The Greenville County Coroner’s Office completed an autopsy on Monday. “At autopsy no signs of trauma were discovered that would have contributed to the death,” coroner Mike Ellis said in a statement. “The cause and manner of death remain pending further investigation and the completion of additional studies.”
Narcan, a medication used to reverse opioid overdoses, was found on a mattress at the scene, according to reports. It has not been established whether the medication was administered to Panettiere or someone else.
In the viral moment that preceded this latest development, Panettiere had been open about her struggles with substance abuse and addiction to alcohol and pills. She wrote candidly about these battles in her 2026 memoir “This Is Me: A Reckoning,” including her experiences with domestic violence in her relationship with Brian Hickerson. “I never wanted to call myself a victim, but here I am,” she wrote. The couple had an on-again, off-again relationship, and Hickerson had previously been arrested for alleged corporal injury on a spouse, assault, and intimidating Panettiere in incidents between May 2019 and June 2020.
Police have stated that preliminary investigation has not indicated any signs of foul play or suspicious circumstances. GPD did not immediately respond to requests for comment about Wednesday’s visit to the Hickerson family home.