Hayden Panettiere’s on-and-off boyfriend was there when she died: police

On Sunday, police report revealed that Hayden Panettiere's on-and-off boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, and his brother Zach were at her South Carolina residence when the 31-year-old actress tragically died. A Greenville police officer who responded to the 911 call reported seeing emergency workers perform CPR on a woman who was unresponsive.

The patient, believed to be Panettiere, did not exhibit any obvious signs of injury before emergency services arrived. After attempting to resuscitate her, they declared her death at 2:31 p.m. The cause of her death has not been determined and is currently under investigation. The autopsy did not reveal any signs of trauma, and police found no evidence of foul play.

Panettiere, known for her roles in "Heroes" and "Nashville," had struggled with alcohol addiction and depression throughout her life. She would have turned 37 on Friday. The couple's tumultuous relationship had been plagued with allegations of physical abuse, with Hickerson facing felony abuse charges in 2020 and serving a brief jail sentence.

In her memoir, Panettiere expressed hope that Hickerson's jail time would motivate him to change, but she hoped it wouldn't worsen his behavior. The two met at a West Hollywood restaurant in 2018, described as "charming" in her memoir. The police report states that Zach Hickerson initially identified Panettiere's unresponsive state as her brother's girlfriend, while Brian remained silent until learning of her death.

After her death was confirmed, the officer escorted the brothers out of the apartment and had a more detailed conversation with Brian, though the specifics of this interaction have been redacted. Hickerson, who is also the father of Panettiere's 11-year-old daughter, Kaya, released a statement through ex-partner Wladimir Klitschko, expressing that their family was experiencing "profound shock and grief."