00:00Page Six has exclusively learned that Hayden Panettiere's on-off boyfriend, Brian Hickerson,
00:05may have been pursuing another woman online, just months before the actress' tragic death.
00:09Page Six reviewed Instagram messages and texts between a man believed to be Hickerson
00:13and a now 26-year-old woman from Greenville, South Carolina.
00:17In the messages, it demonstrates the man believed to be Hickerson repeatedly showing romantic interest in her.
00:22The woman, who asked to remain anonymous, told as she and Hickerson allegedly met at a nightclub on March 28th
00:28when she was with a friend.
00:29The Greenville woman admitted she was heavily intoxicated when she allegedly met Hickerson
00:33and didn't remember much of that night.
00:35She told him that when she noticed he had followed her on Instagram and sent her a DM.
00:40Hickerson has since deactivated his account, but the name handle is still tagged in public posts.
00:45The DMs from the man believed to be Hickerson say,
00:48Great meeting you last night, pretty lady. I owe you a date.
00:51I'm heading to City Tavern for a slushie in a bit. You should join.
00:55The woman claimed to us she did not know who he was and had no knowledge of his connection to
00:59Hayden Panettiere,
01:00noting that his Instagram account at the time featured very few photos.
01:04The woman showed Page Six text messages between her and a friend from that time
01:08that appeared to corroborate her claims about Hickerson.
01:11The woman responded to Brian Hickerson on April 1st, writing,
01:14Hey Brian, I'm sorry I missed this. I'm awful with my inbox.
01:18I have to be so honest, I don't remember much of that night. What happened?
01:22Hickerson replied,
01:23You wanted to make sure I took you somewhere nice on a date,
01:25which clearly throws Waffle House out the window.
01:28So I guess Hall's Chop House might have to do if you want to meet each other properly.
01:32He continued,
01:33Just moved here from Los Angeles, so it was nice meeting a pretty girl in Greenville,
01:37out of the blue.
01:38I also realized after I reached out on Instagram, you gave me your number,
01:41so I'll shoot you a text if that's better.
01:44Hickerson claimed they met in the middle of the dance floor at the club
01:47and insisted he take her to Hall's Chop House.
01:49The woman replied that she had no recollection of his story and told him she was 25.
01:54He wrote,
01:55I'm 36, but I read on a 25-year-old level. Is that a deal breaker?
01:59The woman suggested they go to the restaurant and see how they get along.
02:03The text appearing to be from Hickerson responded,
02:05saying the woman was just as adorable as she was the other night.
02:08She told us she stopped corresponding after she lost interest in Brian Hickerson,
02:13explaining she wasn't keen on their 11-year age gap and was uncomfortable with not remembering meeting.
02:18Hickerson then appears to have texted the woman twice using a number that matches one Page Six has for him.
02:24On April 2nd, he wrote,
02:25Hey you, it's Brian Hickerson. Figured I'd text you since you don't check Insta.
02:30After she did not reply, Hickerson texted again two days later, writing,
02:35I'm gonna be out of town for work till next Monday, so how about we shoot for Hall's midweek?
02:40The woman tells us she did not write back.
02:42Hours later, Hickerson replied to her Instagram story where she put out an open offer to be someone's church buddy
02:48for Easter Sunday.
02:49Hickerson replied to her post,
02:51Goodness, you must be reading my mind. Ha ha.
02:54I was gonna skip tomorrow because it was just me. Where do you go?
02:57The woman did not reply.
02:59He attempted to reach her one more time, texting on April 14th,
03:03Hey hey, I'm back in town this week. When am I taking you to Hall's?
03:07The woman did not get back to him and they never spoke again.
03:10The anonymous woman told us the next time she heard his name was when news broke that Panettiere had died
03:15at an Airbnb Hickerson was reportedly staying at in Greenville.
03:19The nature and status of Panettiere and Hickerson's years-long relationship at that time is unclear
03:24and we cannot independently confirm whether there was any overlap.
03:28The woman tells Page Six,
03:30I vaguely remember the name and began looking through my direct messages.
03:34The possibility that I had unknowingly become connected to a high-profile relationship,
03:38especially in these unfortunate circumstances, was beyond my comprehension.
03:42She claimed Hickerson never mentioned Hayden Panettiere
03:45and that she was not aware of the timeline of their relationship.
03:49Hickerson's attorney declined to comment.
03:51Stay with Page Six for the latest on all the details related to the tragic death of Hayden Panettiere.
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