'He Was Surveilling Her': Hayden Panettiere's Abusive Boyfriend 'Inserted Himself' Into Her Life Before Her Suspected Overdose Death, Sources Say

Insiders are claiming that Hayden Panettiere's on-again, off-again boyfriend Brian Hickerson forced his way back into her life shortly before she died.

Hickerson and Panettiere had a tumultuous relationship from 2018 to 2022, dating on and off as the man accrued several domestic violence accusations from the actress. He was sentenced to 45 days in jail in 2021 for multiple abuse offenses

Hickerson reportedly traveled with Panettiere to South Carolina, where she died on August 16. According to recently released police reports, he was with her at the Greenville loft apartment when she took her last breath.

The couple seemed to break up for good after a public, physical fight in 2022, but friends have said he recently weaseled his way back into the star's life.

"Brian was with her at the time of her death," an insider told Us Weekly. "He had inserted himself into her life and was surveilling her."

It is unclear why Panettiere traveled to South Carolina, though Hickerson is originally from the area. The man still has family there, including his brother, Zach, who was present at the time of Hayden's death and reportedly found her unresponsive on a chair before calling 911.

Insiders claimed that the former couple connected earlier this year after he asked to crash on her couch.

"All was well up until a week ago when she went kind of silent, and then she passed away,” a source explained. “She had a lot to live for. She had plans to go on a girls’ trip. She was going to see her daughter in Europe. But [in] the last week, things had changed and Brian had inserted himself into her life."

Hayden gave up custody of her only child, Kaya, to her ex-fiancé Wladimir Klitschko, who lives in Ukraine.

Other insiders revealed that the actress had been hiding her reunion with Brian from many close friends and family members.

"If Brian was back in her life, then it was something she was hiding because she wasn’t speaking about it with many of her friends," a source told Page Six.

"If you’ve gone through some dark times with people, and spoken about it, then there can be shame if you get back together with that same person,” they added. “So maybe that was why she hadn’t mentioned it to us."

Hayden wrote candidly about Brian's abusive history in her May 2026 memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning.

"What I never told them was that the abuse I’d endured didn’t feel as bad as the thought of being alone," she said.

Her estranged mother, Lesley Vogel, told NBC News that those close to Hayden had been trying to "get rid of" Brian.

"This person in her life that we have been trying to get rid of for quite some time was with her at her death and that was Brian Hickerson," she stated candidly.

While Brian was present when Hayden died, he has not been accused of foul play. Officials observed no signs of trauma on her body nor "suspicious circumstances."

"I observed Zach to be very emotional while EMS were working on Hayden," police reports said of first responder response. "Brian did not become emotional until EMS declared her officially deceased."

The man has not spoken out on Hayden's death but shared several kind words about his ex and "good buddy" upon the release of her memoir earlier this year.

"She probably doesn’t think the same way I think that Hayden is one of the most talented people I’ve ever met in my life," he gushed. "And I would be an idiot not to walk away from her and let her bull rush in her career. We probably wouldn’t be good together. I’d like to see what she’s gonna do with the next 30 years of her career."