Hayden Panettiere's on-and-off boyfriend was there when she died: police

Actress Hayden Panettiere, known for her roles in "Heroes" and "Nashville," has died at the age of 36. Police responded to a call about an unresponsive female in South Carolina early Sunday morning, with no immediate indications of foul play.

A police report released Tuesday confirmed that Panettiere's on-and-off boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, and his brother Zach Hickerson, were at the South Carolina residence where the actor was found. A responding officer noted that the patient "did not seem to have any obvious physical reasons to be unresponsive." Emergency responders attempted lifesaving measures before Panettiere was pronounced dead at 2:31 p.m.

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The patient did not seem to have any obvious physical reasons to be unresponsive.

While the cause of death is under investigation, an autopsy revealed no signs of trauma, and responding officers observed no signs of foul play. Panettiere, who began her acting career as a child, had been open about her struggles with alcohol addiction and depression. She would have celebrated her 37th birthday on Friday.

Panettiere and Hickerson were involved in a tumultuous relationship for years, during which Hickerson faced allegations of physical abuse. He pleaded no contest to two counts of injuring a spouse or partner in 2020 and served a short jail sentence, followed by probation, anger management, and Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. In her memoir published in May, Panettiere expressed hope for Hickerson's change and her desire to forgive him, stating she wanted his jail time to be a scare rather than a traumatizing experience.

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I wanted Brian to be in jail just long enough to scare him, but not long enough where’d he become a worse person. I needed him to admit his wrongs and change because of them, but I didn’t want to traumatize him in an irreversible way.