Hayden Panettiere’s Boyfriend Breaks Silence on Her Death

Hayden Panettiere ‘s on-again, off-again boyfriend, who was with her at the time of her death in South Carolina over the weekend, has released a statement reiterating that police have said there was no foul play suspected.

Brian Hickerson dated Panettiere on and off since 2018 and was arrested several times in the subsequent years for domestic abuse and, at one point, pleaded no contest to two felony charges related to an assault against Panettiere. He was at the scene of Panettiere’s death along with his brother, with a heavily redacted incident report from the Greenville Police Department revealing details of their reaction to Panettiere’s death. Related Stories General News Hayden Panettiere's Neighbor Says She Called 911 Multiple Times to Report Disturbances With Star's Boyfriend News DEA Joins Investigation Into Hayden Panettiere's Death, Sources Say

Neither brother has been named as a suspect or person of interest in the investigation into the Heroes and Nashville star’s death. On Thursday, Brian Hickerson’s attorney released a statement on the actor’s dearth and the investigation into what happened before emergency responders arrived at the scene.

“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,” Sloan Ellis from the Ellis Hinton law firm told TMZ on Thursday. “Out of respect for Hayden’s loved ones and the ongoing investigation, there will be no further comment at this time.”

A phone call placed by The Hollywood Reporter to Ellis on Thursday, seeking comment on the investigation, was not immediately returned.

Panettiere was found unresponsive in a South Carolina home on Sunday, and an investigation into her death was ongoing on Monday. The Greenville County Coroner’s Office said there were no signs of trauma to her body and the cause and manner of her death remain pending further investigation. Panettiere was 36 years old.

The Drug Enforcement Administration has joined the investigation into Panettiere’s death, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News on Wednesday.

A heavily redacted incident report from the Greenville Police Department this week revealed that the two brothers were present at the townhouse rental where Panettiere died. An officer reported that Zach Hickerson identified the actor to authorities as “his brother’s girlfriend”; later, when she became unresponsive to “advanced cardiac life support measures” administered by EMTs, Brian Hickerson became very emotional, according to the report. At one point on Sunday, he showed officers a “bag of medication” that he told police she had been taking before her death, the report states.

Earlier this year, Panettiere’s memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning , chronicled some of the abuse she suffered while involved with Hickerson. Following one incident with the actor, he was charged with seven felony counts, including assault, injuring a girlfriend and dissuading a witness from prosecuting a crime.

Hickerson asked a judge to reduce one of the felony charges to a misdemeanor last week, but the request was denied.