Panettiere's Mom Disputes Boyfriend's Account of Death

Hayden Panettiere's estranged mother, Lesley Vogel, is publicly disputing the account her daughter's on-and-off boyfriend Brian Hickerson gave police about the actress's final hours, calling his version "full of holes."

Panettiere, 36, was found unresponsive on Aug. 16 at an apartment complex in Greenville, South Carolina, and was later pronounced dead.

Her cause and manner of death are still pending. The Greenville Police Department, the Greenville County Coroner's Office and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration are all still investigating. Police have said preliminary findings showed no signs of foul play, and authorities have not accused anyone of a crime or of wrongdoing.

What Vogel Says

In an hourlong Aug. 22 interview with the Daily Mail, reported by USA TODAY, Vogel said she raised her concerns with law enforcement at the scene. She said that when she asked an officer whether there would be a further investigation, the officer responded, "Well, what do you think of Brian Hickerson?"

According to Vogel, Hickerson told police that Panettiere was doing her makeup at the Airbnb at about 10:30 a.m. before he left to get something, that he returned and took a nap, and that he did not tell police he had seen or spoken with her before his brother arrived. Vogel said Hickerson told police that Zach Hickerson knocked at the door, that Brian answered, and that Panettiere was then found unresponsive.

"I don't know how you can take a nap near someone who's dying and not realize something's wrong. How do you do that?" Vogel told the Daily Mail. "When the EMTs came, it was for a cardiac arrest. People in cardiac arrest aren't just lying still. They make noise."

In a separate interview with The New York Times published Sunday, Vogel said she visited her daughter in Los Angeles about a year ago and was shocked to find Hickerson had pawned some of Panettiere's belongings, including a vintage guitar, and that Panettiere was also shocked to learn he had some of her possessions in a storage unit. Page Six reported that the Times cited another source who confirmed items had been pawned. Hickerson filed for bankruptcy in 2022.