The former boyfriend of the late actor Hayden Panettiere released his first statement following her death.
Brian Hickerson, Panettiere’s on-and-off boyfriend since 2018, released a statement through his lawyer Thursday, cautioning to let the investigation into her death play out.
“Hayden’s death remains under investigation, and it is important to allow that investigation to proceed,” Hickerson’s lawyer, Sloan Ellis, said in a statement to TMZ. “As has been publicly reported, police confirmed there were no signs of foul play.”
Panettiere, 36, starred in hit shows including “Heroes” and “Nashville.” She was found in a state of cardiac arrest in a Greenville, South Carolina, apartment on Sunday and could not be revived.
Hickerson, along with his brother Zach, were in the apartment at the time of her death, according to a police incident report.
Zach Hickerson reportedly told an officer that his brother and Panettiere were dating. Much of the incident report has been redacted, but it ends in part with: “They then called 911.”
Panettiere’s estranged mom, Lesley Vogel, said her daughter struggled with alcohol and substance abuse. She blamed Hickerson in part for her daughter’s death.
Vogel told NBC News on Thursday, “This person in her life that we have been trying to get rid of for quite some time was with her at her death and that was Brian Hickerson.”
The investigation remains ongoing.