Hayden Panettiere's mother points the finger at the actress's boyfriend following her sudden death at age 36

Two days after Hayden Panettiere's sudden death, her mother and former agent, Lesley Vogel, broke her silence in statements to NBC News to directly point the finger at the actress's on-again, off-again partner, Brian Hickerson.

According to a police report obtained by the outlet, Hickerson and his brother were with Panettiere at the time of her death. "This person in her life, whom we have been trying to get rid of for quite some time, was with her at the time of her death, and that was Brian Hickerson," Vogel stated.

The actress's mother also reflected on the challenges young people face in the entertainment industry. "I think Hayden was an incredibly talented person in many ways, and I think that for young people growing up in the entertainment industry, it's a struggle—it's a very challenging industry, and it's not unusual for them unfortunately to go down the wrong path," she added.

Ongoing investigations and preliminary autopsy

The Greenville County Coroner's Office confirmed that emergency responders answered a call and found the actress in cardiac arrest. Despite administering advanced life-support measures, resuscitation efforts proved unsuccessful, and she was pronounced dead at 2:32 p.m.

Both the local police and the coroner's office are conducting parallel investigations into the case. Preliminary autopsy results showed no signs of trauma that could have contributed to her death, so the exact cause and manner of death remain pending further investigation.

Family tensions and a complex situation

Panettiere's death comes after years of estrangement from her mother. The actress ended her professional relationship with Vogel at age 19 and publicly confirmed last May that she was not in contact with her, though she left the door open for a future reconciliation.

The family also suffered the unexpected loss of the artist's younger brother, Jansen Panettiere, in February 2023.

The actress is survived by her daughter, Kaya, born in 2014 from her relationship with former Ukrainian boxer Wladimir Klitschko. After the news broke, Klitschko stated on social media that his family is going through a time of deep sorrow.

"The announcement of Hayden's tragic death saddens me deeply. She left this world far too soon," the boxer wrote, pledging to keep the actress's memory alive for her daughter.

In her memoir, published earlier this year, Panettiere discussed her decision to grant Klitschko full custody of their daughter in 2018 to protect her from public scrutiny and ensure she had a stable environment while she was dealing with difficult personal issues.