01/07/26
Brittany would be 41 if she were still with us. It has been a long and painful four-plus years without her.
While friends and extended family have voiced their frustration in various ways over the many questions surrounding her sudden and still unexplained death, we have remained largely silent in public—until now.
From the beginning, we have worked behind the scenes to seek a real investigation into the deeply concerning circumstances surrounding Brittany’s passing. We have pleaded with local law enforcement to take a closer look, to ask hard questions, to give us real answers. To date, we have received none.
Her death was officially classified as “complications of COVID-19,” though no complications were listed. She was 36 years old, strong, healthy, and had no known underlying conditions. She became ill and died in less than three days—something that does not align with any documented COVID-19 case we can find in someone of similar age and health.
Because Butte County was not conducting internal autopsies at the time due to COVID policies, we—alongside a close physician friend—pushed for exceptions. Not because we suspected wrongdoing at the time, but because we needed to understand what had happened to our daughter. Her life, and her death, mattered—and we believed clarity could matter for her children, her siblings, and others. Despite our efforts, those requests were denied, and we were unable to obtain an internal autopsy.
When we first spoke with the Glenn County District Attorney, we shared that our research turned up no documented cases of someone under 40 and of good health dying from COVID in under three days. He agreed, noting that he had found only one comparable case—and that was in a different country. That alone is a sobering reminder of how deeply questionable her cause of death truly is.
The night Brittany died, when first responders arrived, there were no signs of life. After 20 minutes of augmented CPR with a LUCAS device, they were able to restore a pulse and transported her to Enloe Hospital in Chico. Despite heroic efforts by the hospital staff, she was declared dead a few hours later.
What haunts us is this: if the first responders had not revived her pulse and she had been declared dead at home, law enforcement would have been required to investigate. That investigation never happened. And over four years later, we are still without answers.
Many aspects of Brittany’s death don’t add up. The delay in getting her medical help. Statements she made to close friends. Her plans to file for divorce that very week—plans she didn’t live to carry out. A plethora of various alarming statements that were made both before and after her death. Circumstances that don’t speak to a natural death.
The Glenn County Sheriff’s Office told us for years that they were “working on getting answers.” But those answers never came.
The Glenn County District Attorney has now stated he sees nothing suspicious at all.
To their credit, the Butte County Sheriff’s Office has been kind and supportive. But because Glenn County has jurisdiction, BCSO’s ability to help was limited. Eventually—after our repeated requests—Glenn County did allow Butte to assist in a few minor interviews. But that is all.
We are here to say, as clearly and calmly as we can:
There has never been a proper investigation into our daughter’s death.
And we are still waiting for the truth.
— The Parents of Brittany Hibdon