According to the police report released Tuesday, a Greenville officer responded to the residence on Sunday afternoon and encountered the Hickerson brothers while paramedics were performing CPR on an unresponsive woman later identified as Panettiere.
The responding officer noted that there was no obvious physical reason for her lack of responsiveness. Despite emergency efforts to revive her, paramedics pronounced Panettiere dead at 2:31 p.m.
The heavily redacted report states that the officer initially spoke with Zack Hickerson, who identified Panettiere as his brother’s friend. The officer also noted that Zack appeared extremely emotional while paramedics attempted to revive her, while Brian became visibly emotional after her death was officially announced.
Following the announcement, the officer escorted both brothers outside the apartment and spoke with Brian “at length.” However, details of that conversation were redacted from the publicly released report. A list of medications Panettiere had been taking was also withheld.
Authorities have not yet determined the official cause of death. An autopsy reportedly found no signs of physical injuries that could have contributed to her death, while police said investigators had not identified evidence suggesting criminal involvement.
Panettiere and Hickerson had previously been involved in a turbulent relationship that included legal proceedings. Hickerson had pleaded guilty to two charges related to injuring a spouse or partner and served jail time followed by probation and court-ordered programs.
The investigation into the “Heroes” and “Nashville” star’s death remains ongoing as authorities await further findings that could determine exactly what caused her death.