Hayden Panettiere died at 36, incident report details boyfriend's involvement
Actress Hayden Panettiere was found dead in a South Carolina apartment on Aug. 16. Police reports show her on-off boyfriend called 911 and handed over a bag of her medication.
Hayden Panettiere, known for roles in Heroes, Nashville and the Scream franchise, was pronounced dead at a Greenville, South Carolina apartment on Sunday, Aug. 16. The Greenville County Coroner’s Office said an autopsy found no signs of trauma; toxicology results are expected within 12 weeks.
A police incident report released after the death indicates that Brian Hickerson, 37, identified as Panettiere’s on-off boyfriend, placed a 911 call and later surrendered a bag of the actress’s medication to investigators. The contents of the bag were redacted. Hickerson’s brother, Zach, was also present at the scene.
Panettiere’s father, Skip, confirmed the death in a statement to ABC News, describing his daughter as a “light and a force of nature.” Former fiancé Wladimir Klitschko expressed sadness and pledged to keep their daughter Kaya’s memory of Panettiere alive.
Several co-stars, including Masi Oka, Connie Britton, Tim Allen, Viola Davis and Melissa Barrera, posted tributes on social media. The actress’s memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, released in May, detailed her struggles with addiction, postpartum depression, abusive relationships and custody battles.
Panettiere’s estranged mother, Lesley Vogel, told NBC News that Hickerson had been “a person we have been trying to get rid of for quite some time” and was present at the time of her death. Vogel also reflected on the challenges faced by young people in the entertainment industry.
Police have not released further details pending the ongoing investigation.