Hayden Panettiere’s Boyfriend Gave Her Narcan, His Brother Claims, Contradicting Earlier Account

Hayden Panettiere‘s boyfriend tried to save her life after she was found unconscious on the day she died, according to his brother, whose version of events differs from earlier reports.

“Brian gave her Narcan,” Zach Hickerson said, according to a report TMZ published on Friday, August 21. His account sheds new light on what happened inside the Greenville, South Carolina, Airbnb on August 16, including where Brian Hickerson was when Panettiere was discovered and the brothers’ efforts to revive her.

Per TMZ, Zach said he’d exchanged messages with Brian Hickerson that Sunday morning while at church, and the group had planned to get lunch together afterward. When he couldn’t reach either Brian or Panettiere by phone or text, he assumed they’d fallen back asleep and drove to the apartment himself.

“I knocked loudly which apparently woke Brian up from a nap they were both taking on the pull out couch bed in the living room,” Zach said, per the outlet. “When we went in and tried to wake Hayden up for lunch, we realized she was unconscious.”

He continued, “I immediately called 911 and Brian gave her Narcan. We then jointly performed CPR while 911 was on speaker until Fire and EMS arrived.”

The account differs significantly from earlier reporting from TMZ about where Brian was when Panettiere was found. Previously, Zach said he discovered Panettiere unresponsive in a chair in the living room while Brian was asleep in another room.

Zach also addressed the growing online theories in his statement. “There are a lot of assumptions, speculations and accusations currently swirling,” he said, the outlet reported. “The truth will come out as the authorities complete and release additional details from the investigation.”

Brian’s presence at the scene has drawn additional scrutiny because of his troubled history with Panettiere. Hickerson previously served jail time in connection with a 2020 assault on the actress, while a former neighbor admitted she had called police multiple times over disturbances involving him and claimed she was “terrified” of him, according to Inside Edition.

Panettiere’s mother, Lesley Vogel, has also publicly pointed to Brian, telling NBC News that he was “this person in her life that we have been trying to get rid of for quite some time” and noting that he was with her when she died. Despite those concerns, authorities have said there were no preliminary signs of foul play, and Panettiere’s official cause and manner of death remain under investigation.