Brian Hickerson and his brother Zach were with Hayden Panettiere at the time of her death in South Carolina on Sunday, Aug. 16

NEED TO KNOW

• Police responded to a home belonging to the family of Brian Hickerson, the on-and-off boyfriend of Hayden Panettiere, on Wednesday
• Brian and his brother Zach were with Panettiere on Sunday at the time of her death
• A police spokesperson told Page Six that officers responded to a request for a welfare check but did not specify for whom

Police reportedly responded to a home belonging to the family of Brian Hickerson, the on-and-off boyfriend of Hayden Panettiere, days after the actress’ sudden death.

According to Page Six, officers from the Greenville Police Department showed up at 8:20 a.m. on Wednesday at the Greenville, South Carolina, residence belonging to Hickerson’s family member. Officers knocked on several doors to no response and left after about three minutes, the outlet reported.

A police spokesperson told Page Six that officers responded to a request for a welfare check but did not specify for whom. PEOPLE reached out to police for comment.

Hickerson, 37, and his brother Zach were with Panettiere at the time of her death, authorities said.

On Sunday, Aug. 16, the actress was found “unresponsive” at a residence around 1:50 p.m., police said. The Greenville County Coroner’s Office said in a statement that first responders and EMS initiated “advanced cardiac life support” measures. “However, resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful, and the individual was pronounced deceased at 2:32 p.m.,” the statement read. Panettiere was 36.

Per dispatch audio, officials were heard discussing an “overdose” and “cardiac arrest” around the time of her death. No official cause of death has been released.

Panettiere and Hickerson were first linked in 2018. Hickerson was arrested numerous times during their tumultuous relationship on charges including domestic violence in 2019 and 2020. In 2021, Hickerson pleaded no contest to two felony counts of injuring a partner, related to the 2020 arrest. He was sentenced to 45 days in jail, four years of formal probation, 52 domestic violence classes, $500 in restitution and a five-year protective order. He spent 13 days in jail. The other charges were dropped. His 2019 case was dismissed.

After his 2020 arrest on eight domestic violence charges, Panettiere released the following statement: “I am coming forward with the truth about what happened to me in the hope that my story will empower others in abusive relationships to get the help they need and deserve,” she said. “I am prepared to do my part to make sure this man never hurts anyone again.”

The Nashville actress reflected on her statement two years later in an interview with PEOPLE, sharing that she felt the “same way.” The pair had since reconnected as friends and Panettiere said she was “trying to live in a place of” forgiveness. “I think [Brian] has done his time and was willing to get help,” she said. “I think about the things I have done in my life that people forgave me for. Making amends is a really important thing that you learn in treatment. And it gives you a lot of inner peace.”

Panettiere’s rep confirmed her death to PEOPLE on Aug. 16, sharing a statement from her dad Alan “Skip” Panettiere: “It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden. She was an incredible light and a force of nature who brought immeasurable love and joy to all who knew her — and to the millions who watched her onscreen.”

She leaves behind 11-year-old daughter Kaya, whom she shared with ex Wladimir Klitschko.

In an interview with NBC News after Panettiere’s death, her estranged mother Lesley Vogel said “we have been trying to get rid of [Hickerson] for quite some time,” adding, “There is a lot of history in the past that Brian has enabled Hayden many times and this is why her father and I had been concerned for a long time about him.”

Brian and Zach Hickerson have not responded to PEOPLE’s multiple requests for comment.

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, please contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.

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