Hayden Panettiere’s Mom Told Police She Thought Brian Hickerson Was ‘Culpable’ in Daughter’s Death
In statements made after her daughter Hayden Panettiere’s death, Lesley Vogel pointed to her ex, Brian Hickerson. Panettiere opened up about the domestic violence she experienced while in a relationship with Hickerson. They reunited shortly before her death, and Vogel blames him.
Hayden Panettiere’s mom spoke to police about Brian Hickerson
Panettiere and Hickerson traveled to South Carolina together before her death. In a conversation with the Daily Mail, Vogel said she believes Hickerson deserves blame for her daughter’s death.
“I think he’s culpable,” she revealed she told police.
She also doubted the timeline that Hickerson and his brother told police.
“I think there will be a discrepancy in the timeline,” she said. “Meaning Brian had to go out and buy the Narcan while he left her there because I do not believe he happened to have two bottles of Narcan on him, like he carried them around in his back pocket. When the EMTs came it was for a cardiac arrest. People in cardiac arrest aren’t just lying still. They make noise.”
In a different interview, Vogel said that she wanted to get Hickerson out of 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,” she told NBC News.
Despite this, police have said that they found no signs of foul play in Panettiere’s death.
Hayden Panettiere put out a statement about Brian Hickerson
In 2020, police arrested Hickerson on charges of domestic violence. After this, Panettiere said she wanted to be open about her story to help others in abusive relationships.
“I am coming forward with the truth about what happened to me with the hope that my story will empower others in abusive relationships to get the help they need and deserve,” she said. “I am prepared to do my part to make sure this man never hurts anyone again. I’m grateful for my support system, which helped me find the courage to regain my voice and my life.”
She delved further into their relationship in her memoir This Is Me: A Reckoning.
She also had a fraught relationship with her mom
Vogel has spoken about her daughter after her death. During Panettiere’s lifetime, though, they were estranged.
“Unfortunately, we don’t have a relationship right now,” Panettiere told Us Weekly several months before her death. “But that doesn’t mean that I don’t leave the door open for the opportunity to present itself one day. It’s hard for me to say, but I’ve chosen to be brutally honest.”
In response, Vogel said her daughter was “entitled” and lacked empathy. She explained that she chose to cut off their relationship. She also accused Panettiere of discussing their dynamic to sell books.
“After 20 years of trauma, I took the advice of professionals and chose the no-contact route,” she told Page Six. “As many parents of entertainment children [know], we are all too familiar with the painful observation of watching the self-destructive paths they sometimes choose. No parent hopes for this scenario; we want our children to be the best of themselves and live a peaceful, joyful life!”
How to get help: In the U.S., call the RAINN National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 to connect with a trained staff member from a sexual assault service provider in your area.
