Hayden Panettiere’s mom raises questions about daughter’s final hours

Lesley Vogel Challenges the Narrative Surrounding Hayden Panettiere’s Last Hours

Cybersecarmor.com – The mother of late actress and author Hayden Panettiere has publicly pushed back against the sequence of events described by her daughter’s former partner, arguing that key details do not add up. Lesley Vogel, who has been estranged from her daughter for years, spent roughly an hour speaking with the Daily Mail on August 22 and laid out what she sees as contradictions in the story told by Brian Hickerson, the man who was at the Greenville, South Carolina, residence when Panettiere was discovered unresponsive.

Panettiere, 36, was found that way on August 16 inside an apartment complex in Greenville. She was subsequently pronounced dead. Her career spanned decades of television and film work, most recently anchored by her role in the musical film Nashville, and she had also published a memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, which offered intimate details of her personal life just months before her death. Her late brother Jansen and Vogel both remain central figures in the public conversation surrounding what happened.

The Mother’s Specific Objections

Vogel characterized Hickerson’s account as “full of holes,” a phrase she used repeatedly throughout the interview. Her central grievance concerns the claim that Hickerson was asleep in the same room where Panettiere was deteriorating. She also questioned why a dose of Narcan — a naloxone nasal spray used to reverse opioid overdoses — was present and administered, given that no one had previously indicated Panettiere was on opioids.

“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?”

She pressed the point further by noting what emergency responders actually encountered when they arrived. In her telling, the paramedics treated the situation as a cardiac arrest, a condition that produces thrashing, vocalization, and visible distress rather than quiet stillness.

“When the EMTs came, it was for a cardiac arrest. People in cardiac arrest aren’t just lying still. They make noise.”

What Hickerson Told Police

According to a redacted police report, Hickerson’s stated timeline places Panettiere applying makeup at the Airbnb-style rental around 10:30 a.m. on August 16. He then left the unit briefly to retrieve an item. Upon returning, he said he fell asleep. He did not report to officers that he had seen or spoken with Panettiere during that interval before his brother arrived at the door.

Zach Hickerson, Brian’s brother, later knocked. Brian answered the door, and the two men discovered Panettiere unresponsive. Zach Hickerson spoke to TMZ on August 21 and described the pair having been napping together on a pull-out couch in the living room. They tried to rouse her, realized she was unconscious, and Zach placed the 911 call while Brian administered the Narcan. The two then performed CPR until paramedics reached the scene.

What the Police Report Captured

The same redacted report noted a marked difference in the brothers’ emotional states when emergency crews arrived. Zach Hickerson was described as “very emotional” while responders worked to save Panettiere. Brian Hickerson, by contrast, “did not become emotional until EMS declared her deceased.” Vogel did not address that particular detail in her interview, but it sits alongside the other gaps she flagged.

Vogel said she raised her concerns directly with officers present at the scene. When she asked whether a deeper investigation would follow, an officer reportedly replied, “Well, what do you think of Brian Hickerson?” — a response she found unsatisfying and suggestive of a desire to close the file quickly.

Where the Investigation Stands

Greenville police have stated that preliminary findings show no signs of foul play. However, the cause of death and the manner of death have not yet been determined. Three agencies remain engaged: the Greenville Police Department, the Greenville County Coroner’s Office, and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. The DEA’s involvement typically signals that toxicology and substance-related questions are being examined, though no formal accusation has been leveled at any individual.

A police report obtained by USA TODAY identified both Brian Hickerson and Zach Hickerson as the original 911 callers. USA TODAY also reached out to Sloan Ellis, who represents Hickerson, as well as to Vogel’s representative. Ellis’s office declined to offer additional comment.

Why the Dispute Matters

Panettiere’s death has drawn sustained public attention in part because of her visibility as a performer and because her memoir had already opened a window into family tensions, including the estrangement from Vogel. With the mother now publicly contesting the boyfriend’s version of events, the question of what actually transpired in that Greenville apartment between roughly 10:30 a.m. and the arrival of paramedics remains open. Until the coroner’s office and DEA complete their work, the full medical and forensic picture will stay incomplete, and competing narratives will continue to circulate.

No one has been charged with a crime. Authorities have not accused any person of wrongdoing. What they have done is keep the investigation alive across multiple jurisdictions while the family’s questions go unanswered.