Lesley Vogel is pressing South Carolina police to expand their investigation into the Aug. 16 death of her daughter Hayden Panettiere, accusing the actress's partner Brian Hickerson of pawning her possessions including a vintage guitar in the period before she died.
Vogel disputed Hickerson's account that he was napping while Panettiere became unresponsive and questioned whether the overdose-reversal drug Narcan was actually administered, despite his brother Zach's claim that Hickerson performed CPR and gave Narcan. She also alleged Hickerson called his brother because he already knew Panettiere was dead, not because Zach happened to stop by. Hickerson, who filed for bankruptcy in 2022, had reportedly reconnected with Panettiere earlier this year needing a place to stay, prompting the use of private security to keep him away.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has become involved in the case. Police maintain no signs of foul play have been found. A neighbour recalled seeing Panettiere carried out on a stretcher on two prior occasions in 2023 and 2024. Hickerson was sentenced in 2021 to 45 days in jail and probation for domestic violence against the actress.