How Hayden Panettiere spent her final hours

Zach Hickerson, the brother of Hayden Panettiere's on-and-off boyfriend Brian Hickerson, has shared a detailed account of the actress' final day, describing how he and Brian found her unconscious and attempted to save her life before emergency responders arrived.

Zach said he had planned to meet Brian and Panettiere for lunch and indoor golf after attending church on Sunday. When he could not reach either of them, he drove to the Greenville, South Carolina, Airbnb where they were staying.

According to Zach, Brian was initially asleep when he arrived and woke after Zach knocked loudly. The brothers then tried to wake Panettiere for lunch but realised that she was unconscious. Zach said he immediately called 911 while Brian administered Narcan, a medication used to reverse opioid overdoses.

The brothers then performed CPR together while waiting for emergency responders.

"We then jointly performed CPR while 911 was on speaker until Fire and EMS arrived," Zach said in a statement shared with TMZ. "At that point we watched as they tried every measure possible to save her life."

Panettiere was pronounced dead at 2:32 pm on Sunday at age 36. First responders had found her unresponsive and in cardiac arrest at approximately 1:51 pm. Officials had discussed an apparent overdose while treating her, according to a 911 call obtained by People.

However, her cause and manner of death have not been officially determined. The coroner has said the investigation remains active and that additional studies, including toxicology testing, are still pending. Results could take approximately eight weeks. Police have said there were no signs of foul play or suspicious circumstances.

Zach said he decided to speak publicly because he wanted to clarify his involvement and push back against the speculation surrounding Panettiere's death.