Brian Hickerson spoke out via his lawyer on the loss of his on-again, off-again girlfriend, Hayden Panettiere, after she tragically died on Sunday.
“Hayden’s death remains under investigation and it is important to allow that investigation to proceed,” his attorney, Sloan Ellis, told TMZ on Thursday.
“Hayden’s death remains under investigation and it is important to allow that investigation to proceed,” the statement continued. “Out of respect for Hayden’s loved ones and the ongoing investigation, there will be no further comment at this time.”
As Page Six previously reported, the 36-year-old was found dead in a Greenville, South Carolina, apartment over the weekend.
Brian and brother Zach Hickerson were both present at the scene, with the latter discovering Panettiere’s body while his sibling slept in another room.
According to the 911 audio exclusively obtained by Page Six, paramedics responded to a call about an “unidentified female” in “cardiac arrest.” Within minutes, “CPR [was] in progress” for the “overdose.”
Authorities said there are no signs of foul play and a cause of death has not yet been revealed. The Drug Enforcement Administration has joined the investigation.
An autopsy obtained by us showed “no signs of trauma were discovered that would have contributed to the death.”
The day before Panettiere’s passing, she traveled from Los Angeles to South Carolina with Hickerson, whom she has been linked to on and off since 2018.
The pair had a tumultuous past, with Hickerson being arrested for domestic violence regarding incidents with Panettiere on multiple occasions.
In April 2021, Hickerson pleaded no contest to two felony counts of injuring a spouse or girlfriend. Six other counts were dismissed.
He was sentenced to 45 days in county jail, four years of formal probation, 52 mandatory domestic violence classes and a five-year restraining order.
Hayden is survived by her and ex-fiancé Wladimir Klitschko‘s daughter, Kaya, who was born in December 2014.
Kaya has been living in Ukraine with her father since 2018, and Klitschko wrote in a Tuesday statement that they are experiencing “profound shock and grief.”
The boxing legend wrote, “She left this world far too soon. Hayden was, although no longer my partner, an important part of my life and the mother of our daughter.”
The actress made the “heartbreaking” decision to relinquish custody of Kaya to her ex in 2018 as she struggled with addiction.
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