What was supposed to be an ordinary Sunday afternoon — lunch followed by indoor golf — instead became a desperate attempt to save Hayden Panettiere’s life.

Days after the 36-year-old actress was found dead at a residence in Greenville, South Carolina, Zach Hickerson, the brother of her on-again, off-again boyfriend Brian Hickerson, described what he said happened inside the Airbnb during Panettiere’s final moments.

According to Zach, he was the person who called 911 after Panettiere could not be awakened. Brian administered Narcan, and the two brothers then performed CPR together while emergency dispatchers remained on the phone.

The new account offers a more detailed picture of the chaotic scene that unfolded on Aug. 16 as an investigation into Panettiere’s death remains ongoing.

A Morning That Began With Plans for Lunch

Zach said his Sunday started normally.

He woke at his own Airbnb, got ready and headed to church. While traveling there, he exchanged messages with Brian. The group had discussed meeting after the service for lunch and then spending part of the afternoon playing indoor golf.

But when church ended, Zach could not reach either Brian or Panettiere.

At first, he did not consider the silence alarming. He thought the pair might simply have fallen asleep again.

Rather than continuing to wait for a response, Zach drove to the Airbnb where they were staying.

He knew how to enter the building but did not have the code to the Airbnb itself, so he began knocking loudly at the door. According to his account, the noise woke Brian, who had been sleeping on a pull-out couch in the living room with Panettiere.

What initially appeared to be an interrupted nap quickly became an emergency.

When the brothers tried to wake Panettiere so they could leave for lunch, she did not respond.

They realized she was unconscious.

Narcan, CPR and a Call to 911

Zach said he immediately contacted 911.

Brian gave Panettiere Narcan, a medication used to rapidly reverse the effects of an opioid emergency. Narcan was later reported to have been found at the scene. Panettiere had previously spoken publicly about her struggles with alcohol and opioid addiction.

With the emergency dispatcher on speakerphone, Zach said he and Brian began performing CPR.

They continued until firefighters and emergency medical personnel arrived and took over.

According to Zach, he and his brother then watched as first responders used every measure available in an attempt to revive Panettiere.

Those efforts were unsuccessful.

The Greenville County Coroner’s Office said emergency personnel performed advanced cardiac life support, but Panettiere could not be resuscitated. She was pronounced dead at the residence that afternoon.

Zach later described himself as devastated by what happened. He said Panettiere had been among his closest friends for approximately eight years and characterized her death as both tragic and traumatic.

He also urged people to avoid speculation while investigators continue working to determine exactly what happened.

Police Documented the Scene

A police report provided additional details about the response inside the residence.

When officers arrived, Brian showed them a bag containing medication Panettiere had been taking.

Responding officer Matthew Bryan described Zach as extremely emotional. The officer wrote that Brian did not visibly show the same level of emotion until Panettiere was officially declared dead.

The report also noted that Zach referred to Panettiere as Brian’s girlfriend.

Brian’s attorney, Sloan Ellis, said Panettiere’s death remained under investigation and pointed to police statements saying the preliminary inquiry had found no signs of foul play. Ellis said no additional comment would be made while the investigation continued.

Police previously said they had not identified suspicious circumstances during their initial investigation.

Dispatch audio from the day included references to an overdose and cardiac arrest, although authorities had not announced an official cause of death.

An autopsy was completed the following day.

Greenville County Coroner Mike Ellis said no trauma was discovered that would have contributed to Panettiere’s death. Authorities confirmed that she had been in cardiac arrest when first responders arrived and emphasized that the investigation remained active.

By Aug. 20, the Drug Enforcement Administration had also become involved in the investigation, according to a source cited in the report.

A Complicated History With Brian Hickerson

The circumstances surrounding Panettiere’s final days have also brought renewed attention to her long and troubled history with Brian.

Their relationship stretched across several years and included multiple arrests involving Hickerson.

He faced domestic violence-related charges in 2019 and again in 2020. The 2019 case was eventually dismissed after he pleaded not guilty to a felony domestic violence charge.

Following the 2020 case, Hickerson pleaded no contest in 2021 to two felony counts of injuring a partner. He received a 45-day jail sentence, four years of formal probation, domestic violence classes, restitution and a five-year protective order. He ultimately spent 13 days behind bars. Other charges were dropped.

Panettiere had previously described that period of her life as deeply difficult and complicated while revealing that she had also been privately dealing with addiction.

Following Hickerson’s 2020 arrest, she publicly discussed the abuse she said she experienced and expressed hope that speaking out could encourage others in abusive relationships to seek assistance.

Her Mother Publicly Criticized the Relationship

After Panettiere’s death, her estranged mother, Lesley Vogel, also spoke publicly about Brian.

Vogel said family members and friends had tried for a long time to separate her daughter from him.

She also addressed her estrangement from Panettiere, saying the distance between mother and daughter had not resulted from a lack of love or concern. Instead, Vogel blamed what she described as the influence of a toxic person in Panettiere’s life.

Her comments added another emotionally charged element to the aftermath of a death already surrounded by unanswered questions.

Zach, however, called for the focus to remain on Panettiere and on allowing investigators to complete their work before conclusions are drawn.

A Family Left to Mourn

Panettiere’s representative announced her death on Aug. 16 through a statement from her father, Alan “Skip” Panettiere.

He remembered his daughter as an extraordinary presence who brought enormous love and happiness both to the people who knew her personally and to the millions who knew her through her work on screen.

Two days later, on Aug. 18, Panettiere’s remains were released to her family and transported to a mortuary.

For those closest to her, the investigation may eventually provide answers about what caused the actress’s sudden death.

But Zach’s account of that Sunday morning reveals something more immediate: a day that began with simple plans among friends turned, within minutes, into frantic phone calls, CPR and an unsuccessful fight to keep Panettiere alive.

For now, the final medical determination has not been released, and authorities continue investigating the circumstances surrounding her death.