Source : PERTHNOW NEWS
Hayden Panettiere’s neighbours were reportedly warned to contact the police if they ever saw her boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, in the vicinity of her West Hollywood condo in the past.
The 36-year-old actress tragically died on Sunday afternoon inside an apartment in Greenville, South Carolina, despite paramedics performing CPR.
Police have said there were no signs of trauma or foul play, and the cause of her death remains under investigation.
Before her death, Panettiere was dating Hickerson on and off since 2018, with their relationship marred by several domestic violence claims and arrests.
In August 2025, neighbours put up a warning poster outside Panettiere’s West Hollywood condo building featuring Hickerson’s face following years of complaints about him, according to TMZ.
It said that Hickerson had been “trespassing in the common areas and hallways”.
“Please do not grant him access to the building. If he is seen anywhere on this property, please call 911 immediately and report that he is trespassing on the premises.”
Panettiere’s neighbour Mia Terrazas told the outlet that the Homeowners Association removed the sign about a week after it was put up and was informed Hickerson was no longer a threat to residents.
Ms Terrazas said she believed Hickerson was a “dangerous” man and was “scared” of him throughout the two years he lived with Panettiere in the condo.
On Thursday, it was revealed that the Drug Enforcement Administration has joined the investigation into Panettiere’s death.
Police dispatch audio was released in which officers are heard discussing a possible “overdose” and a “cardiac arrest”.
Narcan, a nasal spray used to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose, was reportedly found on a mattress at the scene.
It comes after Hickerson and his brother Zach were both at the Greenville apartment where Panettiere died, according to a heavily redacted police report.
The responding officer first spoke with Zach, who said an unresponsive Panettiere was with Hickerson.
After Panettiere was declared dead, the officer escorted the brothers out of the apartment. He spoke with Hickerson “more in depth,” but the details of that conversation are redacted in the police report.
Also redacted is a list that of medications that Panettiere had been taking.
Hickerson is no stranger to the police having been charged in 2020 with multiple counts of felony abuse, and he pleaded no contest to two counts of injuring a spouse or partner and served a short time in jail.
He was also sentenced to four years of probation and anger management and Alcoholics Anonymous sessions.
He completed the terms and recently asked a judge to reduce his conviction to misdemeanours, but that request was denied by a Los Angeles judge.
