Following the death of actress Hayden Panettiere, her former on-and-off partner Brian Hickerson addressed the situation through his legal representative. Attorney Sloan Ellis issued a brief statement confirming that authorities had completed an initial examination and found no indication of criminal involvement in her passing.

Ellis's statement urged the public to allow the investigative process to proceed unimpeded whilst honouring Panettiere's memory and the privacy of her family. Multiple law enforcement agencies, including the DEA, were reportedly involved in reviewing the circumstances surrounding her death.