Hayden Panettiere’s ex-boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, was present at the scene when she died, according to a police report obtained by ABC News.
Panettiere, known for her roles in Heroes, Nashville, Remember the Titans and more, died on Sunday. She was 36.
In the police report from the Greenville City Police Department, an officer arrived on the scene on Easley Bridge Road in Greenville, South Carolina. The officer was responding to an EMS assist for an individual who was unresponsive.
“The patient did not seem to have any obvious physical reasons to be unresponsive,” the officer wrote in the report.
“EMS attempted to perform life saving methods for an extended amount of time before they called a time of death. This was 1431 hours,” the report continued.
The officer then wrote in the report that they spoke with Brian Hickerson and his brother, Zach Hickerson, who was also on scene, while EMS “was working on the patient.”
Zach Hickerson described Panettiere as his brother’s girlfriend.
“I observed Zach to be very emotional while EMS were working on Hayden,” the officer wrote. “Brian did not become emotional until EMS declared her officially deceased. Medic 24 and S4 were on scene performing life saving measures.”
The officer added in the report that Brian Hickerson showed them the bag of medication that Panettiere was taking.
Officials arrived on scene to assist in the investigation and the coroner was also on scene to conduct their investigation.
CCTV footage was requested from the scene and a supplemental report will be conducted, according to the report. The report added that the officer on scene also executed a search warrant.
It is unknown if Panettiere was using drugs or alcohol at the time of her death, according to the police report.
On Monday, the Greenville County Coroner’s Office said in a press release that first responders and emergency medical services responded to a 911 call at the Greenville residence and found Panettiere “unresponsive” and in cardiac arrest. Responders “initiated advanced cardiac life support measures,” but resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful” and the actress was “pronounced deceased at 2:32 PM,” officials said.
The coroner’s office said an autopsy was completed on Monday, and that “no signs of trauma were discovered that would have contributed to the death.”
Panettiere’s official cause and manner of death “remain pending further investigation and the completion of additional studies,” the coroner’s office added.
The release noted that Panettiere had been “temporarily staying” at the residence where she was found. The coroner’s office and Greenville City Police Department have since “initiated a parallel investigation” into her death, according to the release.
ABC News has reached out to Panettiere’s rep for a comment.
In previous reporting from ABC News, Panettiere had spoken out about Brian Hickerson’s alleged domestic abuse.
Panettiere told Good Morning America in a statement in 2020: “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 am prepared to do my part to make sure this man never hurts anyone again.”
She added, “I’m grateful for my support system, which helped me find the courage to regain my voice and my life.”
Brian Hickerson pleaded no contest to two felony counts of injuring a spouse or girlfriend in April 2021.
In court docs obtained by ABC News on Tuesday, a California judge denied Brian Hickerson’s request to reduce his prior domestic violence felony convictions.
Brian Hickerson petitioned the court to reduce his felony domestic violence convictions to misdemeanors and to expunge the case from his record. The request was denied on Aug. 13, 2026.
ABC News has reached out to a lawyer for Brian Hickerson for comment.
Panettiere and Hickerson started dating in the late summer of 2018, after she and then-fiancé Wladimir Klitschko had split. Panettiere and Klitschko share a daughter, Kaya Klitschko.
For anyone affected by abuse and needing support, call 1-800-799-7233, or if you’re unable to speak safely, you can log onto thehotline.org or text LOVEIS to 1-866-331-9474.
