An attorney for Brian Hickerson, Hayden Panettiere’s on-again, off-again boyfriend, has issued a statement following the actress’s death, which remains under investigation.
Panettiere, best known for her roles in Heroes and Nashville, died on August 16 at age 36 after being found unresponsive at a South Carolina apartment complex.
Hickerson’s attorney, Sloan Ellis, told TMZ on August 20, “Hayden’s death remains under investigation and it is important to allow that investigation to proceed. As has been publicly reported, police confirmed there were no signs of foul play. Out of respect for Hayden’s loved ones and the ongoing investigation, there will be no further comment at this time.”
According to a Greenville Police Department report obtained by E! News, Hickerson and his brother, Zach, were both present when authorities responded to Panettiere going into cardiac arrest at the residence, where she had reportedly been staying temporarily.
The report noted that Zach appeared visibly emotional while paramedics worked to save her, while Brian did not become visibly emotional until she was pronounced dead.
He reportedly showed responding officers a bag of medication Panettiere had been taking.
The Greenville County Coroner’s Office said an autopsy conducted this week found no signs of trauma that would have contributed to her death, with a final cause pending further investigation.
The development comes against the backdrop of a well-documented and difficult history between Panettiere and Hickerson, who first began dating in 2018.
He was convicted in 2021 on two felony counts of injuring a spouse or girlfriend following a series of incidents between 2019 and 2020, and Panettiere spoke publicly at the time about the abuse, telling Good Morning America in a statement:
“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. I’m grateful for my support system, which helped me find the courage to regain my voice and my life.”
Just days before her death, a judge denied Hickerson’s request to have those felony convictions reduced to misdemeanors or expunged.
Panettiere’s mother, Lesley Vogel, said in a statement following her daughter’s death that Hickerson was someone the family “had been trying to get rid of for quite some time.”
