Hayden Panettiere's final hours emerge as boyfriend Brian Hickerson breaks silence; police probe ongoing

Four days after Hayden Panettiere's death, her boyfriend Brian Hickerson has spoken publicly for the first time, even as investigators continue working to establish exactly what happened in her final hours at a South Carolina apartment.

Hickerson issues a brief statement

Through attorney Sloan Ellis, the 37-year-old Hickerson gave TMZ a short statement on Thursday, August 20. Ellis stressed that the investigation into Panettiere's death was still active and noted that police had already confirmed there were no signs of foul play. The statement closed by saying the family would offer no additional comments while the investigation continues, out of consideration for those grieving her loss.

Inside the apartment: What the police report shows

Panettiere, 36, was staying at a Greenville, South Carolina apartment with Hickerson and his brother Zach when officers were called to the scene on August 16 after she was found unresponsive. Both brothers had placed the 911 call, according to documentation reviewed by USA Today.

When a responding officer arrived, paramedics were already attempting CPR on Panettiere. The officer noted nothing that pointed to an obvious physical cause for her condition. Despite the resuscitation attempts, she was pronounced dead at 2:31 p.m. A subsequent autopsy turned up no evidence of trauma, reinforcing police statements that foul play wasn't suspected.

Audio from the 911 call, later released by Reuters, TMZ, and other outlets, indicated that Panettiere had gone into cardiac arrest, possibly following an overdose.

Details in the police report offer a partial picture of the scene. Zach Hickerson, who spoke with officers first, described Panettiere as his brother's girlfriend and was reportedly the more visibly shaken of the two brothers while paramedics worked on her, Brian's emotions, the officer observed, only surfaced once she was declared dead. Officers later spoke with Brian at greater length, though what was discussed in that conversation was blacked out in the report. The document also references a bag of medication Brian showed to police, though the specific drugs listed were redacted as well.

A relationship marked by past turmoil

Panettiere and Hickerson's on-and-off relationship dated back to 2018 and was shadowed by a documented history of domestic violence. Hickerson was charged with multiple felony counts in 2020 and ultimately pleaded no contest to two charges of injuring a spouse or partner. His 2021 sentence included 45 days in jail, four years of probation, dozens of required domestic violence classes, and mandatory anger management and AA meetings.

He had since completed those court-ordered requirements and was petitioning a judge to reduce his felony convictions to misdemeanors — a request a Los Angeles court denied this past Thursday. The two had also been photographed together earlier this year, fueling speculation that they'd reconciled.