Updated

Updated · Yahoo! Voices · Aug 21

Hayden Panettiere's Mother Blames Brian Hickerson for Death as Overdose Probe Continues 3 Days After Filing

Updated

Updated · Yahoo! Voices · Aug 21

Hayden Panettiere's Mother Blames Brian Hickerson for Death as Overdose Probe Continues 3 Days After Filing

Q: Why did the DEA suddenly join the investigation into Hayden Panettiere's death, and what was in the medication bag her ex-boyfriend surrendered?

The DEA appears to have joined because investigators are treating Hayden Panettiere’s death at least in part as a possible drug-overdose case. Reports cited dispatch audio referencing a possible “overdose,” Narcan was reportedly found at the scene, and local police were already examining medications present in the apartment. In that context, the DEA’s role would be to assist Greenville police and the coroner in tracing any controlled substances and determining whether drugs contributed to her death. As for the medication bag Brian Hickerson surrendered, police records say he showed officers a bag containing medications Panettiere had been taking. The exact contents have not been publicly disclosed because the report was heavily redacted. Multiple outlets reported that nine medications were listed, but their names were blacked out. Separate reporting also said Narcan — the overdose-reversal drug naloxone — and a device used to dispense it were found in the apartment, reportedly on a mattress. It remains unclear whether Narcan was administered, to whom it may have been given, or whether any of the medications in the bag were linked to Panettiere’s death. Authorities have said there were no signs of trauma or foul play in the preliminary autopsy, and the official cause and manner of death remain pending toxicology and further investigation.

3 articles · Updated · Yahoo! Voices · Aug 21

Lesley Vogel publicly named Brian Hickerson as the person she believes led to Hayden Panettiere's death, escalating scrutiny around the actor's apparent overdose on Sunday.
Hickerson was with Panettiere when responders found her in cardiac arrest in Greenville, South Carolina, and Narcan was reportedly found at the scene, though police have said there were no signs of foul play.
His attorney said the death remains under investigation and declined further comment, while a police report said Hickerson's brother was visibly emotional before Panettiere was declared dead.
Panettiere's May memoir detailed years of abuse by Hickerson, who pleaded no contest in 2021 to 2 felony counts of injuring a spouse or girlfriend after multiple arrests.
The renewed focus widened because a Los Angeles judge denied Hickerson's bid to reduce or expunge those felony convictions just 3 days before Panettiere died.