Hayden Panettiere’s on-off boyfriend Brian Hickerson has reportedly been talking to federal law enforcement amid their investigation into the actress’ suspected overdose death.
Hickerson – who was at the Greenville, South Carolina condo when Panettiere was pronounced dead – has met with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), a source claimed to TMZ.
Both local and federal investigators also reportedly believe someone sold the actress drugs that may have caused her death, with authorities now focused on identifying the suspected dealer, according to the outlet.
One source told TMZ that authorities are ‘zeroing in’ on a potential drug dealer.
At the moment investigators are still waiting on toxicology results to come back, to determine Panettiere’s cause of death.
The Heroes actress was found dead at 36 of a suspected overdose at a residence in Greenville on August 16.
Hayden Panettiere’s on-off boyfriend Brian Hickerson has reportedly been talking to federal law enforcement amid their investigation into the actress’ suspected overdose death
At this time, no one has been arrested in connection with Panettiere’s death.
Panettiere died at the end of a long struggle with alcohol and opiates, spending eight months in rehab in 2020 after contracting jaundice and being informed by her doctor that ‘if I didn’t stop drinking, I’d be dead within five years,’ as she wrote in her memoir.
Hickerson was on the scene along with his brother Zachary when she was pronounced dead, according to a police report.
Her autopsy found ‘no signs of trauma’ that ‘would have contributed to the death.’
Over the course of their turbulent relationship, Hickerson faced multiple domestic violence charges, and in 2021 he served 13 days in custody for injuring her.
After she was declared dead, Hickerson is said to have handed the authorities a ‘bag of medication’ she had been taking, per the police report.
Although his brother was ‘very emotional’ during attempts to revive Panettiere, Hickerson is claimed to have remained impassive until she was declared dead.
In 2018, in order to devote herself to her recovery from her personal demons, Panettiere voluntarily gave up custody of her now 11-year-old daughter Kaya.
Hickerson – who was at the Greenville, South Carolina condo when Panettiere was pronounced dead – has met with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), a source claimed to TMZ
Kaya was handed over to the care of her father, Ukrainian boxing star Wladimir Klitschko, with whom Panettiere retained an amicable co-parenting bond.
The Daily Mail has exclusively revealed that Panettiere was also the subject of romance rumors with Hickerson’s brother Zach, a pastor, during a brief period in 2019.
Zach and Panettiere were glimpsed walking hand in hand in New York that September, at which point a witness described them as resembling a ‘real couple.’
