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🇪🇨 Ecuador /Crime & Justice

Hayden Panettiere's ex-partner Brian Hickerson speaks out amid death investigation

From El Comercio · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Under investigation
  • Actress Hayden Panettiere died at age 36 in South Carolina after being found in cardiac arrest.
  • Her ex-partner, Brian Hickerson, is cooperating with the ongoing investigation into her death.
  • The cause of death is under active investigation, with no signs of trauma reported in the autopsy.

American actress Hayden Panettiere died at the age of 36 on Sunday, August 16, 2026, in Greenville, South Carolina. Emergency services found her unresponsive at a residence, and the Greenville County Coroner's Office confirmed that an autopsy revealed no signs of trauma. The cause of death remains under active investigation.

Panettiere's ex-partner, Brian Hickerson, was present at the residence when emergency responders arrived. His attorney, Sloan Ellis, issued a statement indicating that Hickerson is cooperating with the ongoing investigations and that police have ruled out foul play. The attorney requested privacy for the family during this difficult time.

Allow the investigations to continue.

— Sloan EllisBrian Hickerson's attorney, in a statement regarding the ongoing investigation into Hayden Panettiere's death.

Hickerson and Panettiere had a tumultuous relationship that began in 2018, marked by previous domestic violence arrests involving Hickerson. Despite their on-again, off-again status, they maintained close contact until Panettiere's death. Hickerson reportedly handed over a bag of the actress's medications to authorities at the scene.

Panettiere's former fiancé, boxer Wladimir Klitschko, with whom she shares a 11-year-old daughter, Kaya, expressed his deep sorrow over her loss. The family received her remains on Tuesday, August 18, for funeral services.

The police have ruled out signs of foul play.

— Sloan EllisBrian Hickerson's attorney, commenting on the initial findings of the investigation.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by El Comercio in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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