Hayden Panettiere's on-off boyfriend Brian Hickerson and his brother were present in the South Carolina apartment where the actress suffered a suspected fatal heart attack, according to a newly released report from the Greenville Police Department. Officers stated that Hickerson and his brother, Zach, were at the scene when the "Heroes" star died on Sunday.
An officer at the scene described Zach Hickerson as "very emotional," while Brian Hickerson reportedly showed no emotion as emergency medical services declared the 36-year-old Panettiere deceased. Brian Hickerson then allegedly showed police a "bag of medication" that Panettiere had been taking.
The Greenville County Coroner’s Office has stated that Panettiere's cause of death remains under investigation. Audio from the 911 call indicated a dispatcher described the incident as a "cardiac arrest." Sources also told TMZ that Narcan, a nasal medication used to treat opioid overdoses, was found on a mattress at the property.
An autopsy report completed on Monday found "no signs of trauma were discovered that would have contributed to the death."
Panettiere and Hickerson began dating in 2018, and their relationship has been marked by legal issues, including several domestic violence arrests for Hickerson. Panettiere had previously spoken about her challenging childhood in the public eye and detailed aspects of her relationship with Hickerson in her memoir, "This Is Me: A Reckoning," published three months prior to her death. In the memoir, Panettiere alleged that Hickerson had severely beaten her, forcing her to remain at home for weeks to conceal her injuries from the public, and that she had hesitated to report the alleged abuse due to fears of public exposure.