Hayden Panettiere’s boyfriend’s brother attempted CPR on day she died, 911 call reveals

October 14, 2026 / 4:36 PM EDT / CBS News

Zach Hickerson, the brother of Hayden Panettiere's on-again, off-again boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, attempted CPR on the actress before she was declared dead, a 911 call revealed.

Panettiere, known for her roles as a child actor in "Remember the Titans" and later the TV series "Heroes" and "Nashville," was found unconscious at her Greenville, South Carolina, residence on the afternoon of Aug. 16 by Zach and Brian Hickerson, according to a police report and the 911 call obtained by CBS News. She was pronounced dead at the scene, despite "advanced cardiac life support measures," the Greenville County Coroner's Office said at the time. She was 36.

An autopsy found that Panettiere's death was accidental and ruled that the cause was the "toxic effects of" the drugs fentanyl, 4-ANPP, alprazolam, methocarbamol and quetiapine.

Zach Hickerson, who said on the 911 call that he had come over to the couple's home after church, told the 911 operator that Panettiere did not appear to be breathing. The operator asked if they had a defibrillator, but Zach Hickerson said he didn't know if there was one in the apartment building. The operator then told Zach…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/entertainment/