Hayden Panettiere's death investigation

Brian Hickerson, the on-again-off-again boyfriend of actress Hayden Panettiere, was involved in a bloody bar altercation at the Wild Wing Cafe in Greenville, South Carolina on September 12, less than a month after Panettiere, 36, was found dead in a Greenville apartment on August 16. Police said Hickerson's brother Zachary, who was 'highly intoxicated,' was arrested on a disorderly-conduct charge after yelling profanities, while Hickerson himself -- seen handcuffed and bloody in videos, throwing a bar stool -- was released without charges. In one video, Hickerson told his brother, 'GPD leaked it when my girlfriend died,' referencing the Greenville Police Department. Hickerson and Zachary had been the ones to call 911 and find Panettiere unresponsive on August 16; Hickerson later gave officers a bag of medication she had been taking, and did not become emotional, according to a police report, until she was declared dead.

The Greenville County coroner has not released an official cause of death, citing pending toxicology results, but CNN reported on September 15 that federal and Los Angeles-area investigators -- including the DEA -- were examining whether Panettiere obtained counterfeit oxycodone from a Southern California drug dealer before her death. Panettiere's representatives had previously pushed back on public speculation about her final hours, saying in a statement that 'there is much more to this story than what is currently being discussed publicly' and asking those with real information to contact law enforcement rather than speculate on social media. Panettiere, known for roles in 'Heroes' and 'Remember the Titans,' had spoken publicly in the past about her struggles with depression and substance abuse.