Hayden Panettiere’s neighbor says she was “terrified” of Brian Hickerson as police conduct welfare check

As the days go by since Hayden Panettiere's death, there has been one man making headlines alongside her. Brian Hickerson, her on-and-off-again boyfriend, who was at the South Carolina home when she died and has been convicted in the past of domestic violence against her. On Wednesday, it was revealed that police paid a visit to Brian's family home. 

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Officers with the Greenville Police Department arrived at a residence belonging to one of Hickerson’s family members in Greenville, South Carolina, around 8:20 a.m. Wednesday, according to Page Six.

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They reportedly knocked on several doors but received no response and left roughly three minutes later. A police spokesperson told PEOPLE that officers “responded to a call for a welfare check at a home belonging to Brian Hickerson’s family on Wednesday morning.”

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However, police stressed that the visit had nothing to do with the investigation into Panettiere’s death. “The call is unrelated to the Hayden Panettiere death investigation and did not require an incident report,” the spokesperson said.

Hayden Panettiere’s neighbor describes her fear of Brian Hickerson

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The welfare check comes as new details emerge about Brian's history with Panettiere and his dark past. In an interview airing on Inside Edition, Mia Terrazzas, a neighbor of Panettiere in West Hollywood, described years of disturbances she says she witnessed at the actress’ apartment building.

Terrazzas told Inside Edition that she called 911 at least half a dozen times to report disturbances at Panettiere’s home. She also shared an image of a notice that had reportedly been posted by the property’s homeowners association warning residents to call 911 if Hickerson was spotted at the complex.

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According to Inside Edition, the notices were removed about a week after they were posted. Terrazzas said she attempted to put them back up, but the HOA removed them again.

The neighbor said she was “terrified” of Hickerson. “This predator was in our community,” Terrazzas told Inside Edition. “He never stopped living at her place. There were times he ripped apart her bathroom, where he just took a sledgehammer at 5 in the morning.”

Terrazzas also described seeing Panettiere being taken from the property by medical personnel. “I saw her leave, I think twice, in a gurney being taken away and didn't know what was occurring at that time, but she appeared to be injured,” she said.

Hickerson has previously faced domestic violence charges involving Panettiere. In connection with an April 2020 incident, he pleaded no contest to two felony counts and was sentenced in 2021 to 45 days in county jail, four years of probation and domestic violence classes. He was also subject to a five-year restraining order.

Hayden’s mother seemingly blamed Brian Hickerson

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While she comes with her own controversy, Panettiere’s mother, Lesley Vogel, has also spoken publicly about Hickerson following her daughter’s death.

After breaking her silence on Tuesday, Vogel said the family had been trying to remove Hickerson from Hayden’s life for years and specifically pointed to his presence at the actress’ home when she died.

“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 said.

A Greenville City Police Department incident report obtained by WYFF also provides details about what happened at Panettiere’s home after emergency responders arrived. “After EMS officially declared Hayden deceased, I escorted Zach [Brian's brother] and Brian out of the apartment,” the report stated.

The officer wrote that Zach became emotional while EMS worked on Panettiere, while Brian “did not become emotional until EMS declared her officially deceased.”

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, help is available. You can contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline for free, confidential support, safety planning and resources by calling 800-799-SAFE (7233), texting START to 88788, or visiting their website.