Hayden Panettiere’s polarizing boyfriend is being heard from for the first time since the 36-year-old star was found dead in a South Carolina residence Sunday afternoon.
Brian Hickerson, through an attorney at a South Carolina law firm, is warning the public against jumping to conclusions.
“Hayden’s death remains under investigation and it is important to allow that investigation to proceed,” defense lawyer Sloan Ellis told TMZ.
Ellis, who hasn’t returned a Daily News request for comment, noted that an autopsy indicated no signs that trauma contributed to her death. He added that “out of respect for Hayden’s loved ones and the ongoing investigation” there will be no further comment at this time. A toxicology test is underway.
First responders in Greenville found the “Heroes” actor unresponsive when responding to a Sunday afternoon 911 call.
“EMS personnel initiated advanced cardiac life support measures; however, resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful, and the individual was pronounced deceased at 2:32 PM,” Greenville County Coroner’s Office said in a statement.
Her limp body was found by Hickerson’s brother in a living room chair, according to TMZ. Hickerson was said to have been asleep in a bedroom at the time. He reportedly handed investigators a bag containing medication believed to have belonged to Panettiere. Narcan was said to have been on the premises.
Hickerson previously pleaded no contest to domestic violence against Panettiere, but hasn’t been accused of wrongdoing in her death. Friends and family members expressed concern about the pair’s relationship after Panettiere died.
Director Griff Furst said on Instagram that he didn’t feel good about the actor’s domestic situation when he worked with her on the 2025 film “A Breed Apart.”
“What I saw on my own set, somebody fighting to stay sober and who deserved better company around them than what I observed,” he recalled in a video posted after her death.