Hayden Panettiere’s on-and-off boyfriend was with the actor when she died: police report

Hayden Panettiere's on-and-off boyfriend Brian Hickerson and his brother Zach Hickerson were at the South Carolina apartment where the actress died over the weekend, according to a police report released Tuesday.

A Greenville police officer who responded to the residence Sunday afternoon was met by the brothers and then observed paramedics performing CPR on an unresponsive woman, the report states.

"The patient did not seem to have any obvious physical reasons to be unresponsive," the officer notes. After attempting lifesaving measures, the emergency workers declared Panettiere dead at 2:31 p.m.

No cause has been determined and her death remains under investigation. An autopsy found no signs of trauma and police said officers saw no signs of foul play. She was 36.

Panettiere and Brian Hickerson had been in a tumultuous relationship for years, with allegations the 37-year-old aspiring actor physically abused her.

He was charged in 2020 with multiple counts of felony abuse and he pleaded no contest to two counts of injuring a spouse or partner and served a short time in jail due to the case. He was sentenced to four years of probation and anger management and Alcoholics Anonymous sessions.

He completed the terms and recently asked a judge to reduce his conviction to misdemeanors; that request was denied Thursday by a Los Angeles judge.

WATCH | Tributes pour in for Hayden Panettiere after her death at 36:

Report heavily redacted

The police report, which is heavily redacted, said the responding officer first spoke with Zach Hickerson, who said the unresponsive woman was his brother's girlfriend.

"I observed Zach to be very emotional while EMS were working on Hayden. Brian did not become emotional until EMS declared her officially deceased," the officer said.

After she was declared dead, the officer escorted the brothers out of the apartment. The officer spoke with Brian "more in depth," but the details of that conversation are redacted in the police report.

Also redacted is a list that of medications that Panettiere had been taking.

Ex-fiancé speaks out

Earlier, Panettiere's ex-fiancé Wladimir Klitschko spoke out about the actress's sudden death.

The Ukrainian boxer — who is also the father of her only child — shared a heartfelt statement.

"Our family is going through a time of profound shock and grief," he wrote on his Instagram, alongside a photo of himself, Panettiere and their daughter Kaya, 11.

"The announcement of Hayden's tragic death saddens me deeply. 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 late actress and Klitschko welcomed Kaya in December 2014. After they ended their relationship in 2018, Panettiere gave Klitschko full custody of their daughter, as she struggled with addiction and postpartum depression.

"She built an incredible career through immense talent, while also facing the darker sides of a very demanding industry. Nothing will erase the times we shared or the place she had in our lives," he wrote, promising their daughter that he'd always speak of her mother with respect.

"I ask everyone to please respect our family's feelings and privacy during this incredibly difficult time. For now, this is all I wish to say."

Recently released memoir

The actress, who would have turned 37 on Friday, had been open about her private struggles and wrote at length about them in her memoir This Is Me: A Reckoning, which came out in May. 

In it, she opened up about troubles with early fame, addiction and postpartum depression. 

In an interview with podcaster Jay Shetty earlier this year, Panettiere talked about the custody arrangement for her daughter, who lives full time with Klitschko in Ukraine. 

"I think there's been this very common misconception that I just gave up my child," she said. "That could not be farther from the truth."

• Hayden Panettiere, troubled star of Heroes and Nashville, remembered as 'brave and brilliant soul'

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  Heroes, Nashville star Hayden Panettiere dead at 36

'Absolutely heartbroken'

Tributes continue to pour in for the late actor.

"I have no words for this sad song. Just heartbreak," Nashville co-star Connie Britton wrote on Instagram. "I love you, girl. Sleep easy now."

Her Heroes co-star Masi Oka also shared a message on X sharing he was "absolutely heartbroken."

"I had the privilege of working closely with her, and I'll always remember her for her beautiful spirit, immense talent and the joyful energy she brought to everything she did and the people around her." 

In a statement to CBC News, Heroes creator Tim Kring said, "Hayden was an extraordinary talent. We were all in awe of her. You dream of writing for an actress like her."

Before her breakout roles in Heroes and Nashville, Panettiere got her start as a child actor, starring in films like 2000's Remember the Titans alongside Denzel Washington.