Hayden Panettiere 'Found Unresponsive in Armchair by Brian Hickerson's Brother Zach — While Boyfriend Slept in Another Room'

Hayden Panettiere was discovered unresponsive in an armchair by her boyfriend Brian Hickerson's brother, according to new claims surrounding the actress's shock death.

RadarOnline.com can reveal an anonymous source told TMZ Hickerson was in another room asleep when sibling Zach found the Heroes actress at around 1.30pm on Sunday.

The brothers called 911 when they failed to wake up 36-year-old Panettiere, who was in the living room of the Greenville, South Carolina, property they were staying in.

RadarOnline.com previously told how Hickerson reportedly showed police a bag full of medication the actress had been taking at the time of her passing.

The Nashville star, who was later pronounced dead on that Sunday, of what was initially ruled a heart attack, has a long history of drug abuse and addiction and had recently been reeling from a bad back.

A dispatcher could be heard in the audio of 911 the call saying that Panettiere had suffered a "suspected overdose."

First responders tried to perform CPR on the "unresponsive" actress, but "resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful, and the individual was pronounced deceased at 2:32 PM," authorities told Radar in a statement.

Hickerson allegedly then showed police a "bag of medication" that Panettiere had been taking at the time of her death, which she had kept inside the apartment complex where she was temporarily staying. A container of Narcan – a nasal medication used to treat an opioid overdose – was also found on a mattress at the property.

While it's not yet clear if Panettiere had any drugs in her system at the time of her death, she had been open about her battles with depression and addiction, and many of her friends had accused Hickerson of "enabling" the Nashville star's dependency issues.

Panettiere and Hickerson began dating in 2018, but their relationship quickly became volatile, and he was arrested several times for domestic violence during their time together.

After learning of her daughter's death, estranged mom Lesley Vogel bashed Hickerson and his influence on Panettiere's life.

"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," Vogel told NBC News.

"I think Hayden was an amazingly talented person in so many departments, and I think young people who grow up in the entertainment industry – it is a struggle, and it's a very challenging industry, and it's not unusual for them to sadly find the wrong path."

RadarOnline.com told how Vogel is now reportedly attempting to take over the funeral arrangements, despite their bad blood.

An insider told Hollywood insider Rob Shuter, who wrote about it on his Substack, that there isn't universal agreement among her inner circle. Due to Panettiere's past with her mother, those closest to the actress do not want Vogel involved with the funeral plans.

"There are people around Hayden who believe those closest to her should be making these decisions, especially after everything that happened between Hayden and her mother," one source claimed.

"The insider added that while Vogel is still Panettiere's mother, "that doesn't erase the history between them."