Hayden Panettiere's mother, Lesley Vogel, said a "toxic individual" caused their estrangement and ultimately led to the actress's death from a suspected overdose at the age of 36 on Sunday.
In a statement to Entertainment Tonight, the 70-year-old said her daughter became involved with the wrong person, and that the family made an unsuccessful attempt at removing him from her life.
"Although my daughter and I were estranged, it was not for lack of care or love," Vogel told the outlet. "It was due to the involvement of a toxic individual who I believe led to her death."
"Hayden was a beautiful and talented young woman who unfortunately became involved with the wrong person, and although her family tried to extricate him from her life, we were unable to be successful," she said.
"I hope all remember Hayden for the beautiful human being inside her and her gift to the world from her time on this earth. My heart is with you, Hayden. Mama."
While Vogel did not name the person in her latest statement, she recently criticised Panettiere's on-off boyfriend, Brian Hickerson. In an interview with NBC News following her daughter's death, Vogel said the family had been trying to get rid of him for a long time.
"This person in her life that we have been trying to get rid of for quite some time was with her at her death and that was Brian Hickerson," she told NBC News.
"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."
DEA joins investigation
Authorities in Greenville, South Carolina, responded to an apartment after receiving a report of an "unresponsive female" via a possible "drug overdose". Paramedics also reported a suspected overdose over dispatch calls.
First responders located Narcan, a nasal spray used to reverse the effects of opioid overdoses, inside the apartment. Officials attempted lifesaving measures before declaring Panettiere dead.
Hickerson and his brother, Zach, were both at the scene when Panettiere was pronounced dead.
Panettiere and Hickerson had an on-off relationship from 2018 to 2022 that was marred by arrests and domestic violence incidents, with Hickerson serving jail time for abusing her. They had been seen spending time together once again in recent months.
According to TMZ, the Drug Enforcement Administration has joined the investigation into Panettiere's death. The website reported on Wednesday that Greenville Police and the coroner's office are running parallel investigations.
Vogel told Entertainment Tonight that a narcotics investigator had become involved in the case. "It leads me to believe there are still questions surrounding what happened, and I think we are all looking for answers," she said.
Toxicology results are pending, and it is not yet known if narcotics contributed to her death. Police said there were no evident signs of trauma or foul play in their probe, which remains ongoing.
'Force of nature'
Sloan Ellis, a lawyer for Hickerson from the Ellis Hinton law firm, said the death remains under investigation and that it is important to allow the process to proceed.
"As has been publicly reported, police confirmed there were no signs of foul play," Ellis said. "Out of respect for Hayden's loved ones and the ongoing investigation, there will be no further comment at this time."
Panettiere's father, Skip Panettiere, announced her passing in a statement on Sunday.
"It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden," he said. "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."
He added: "We ask for privacy as our family takes time to process this unimaginable loss."
Panettiere began acting as a child, appearing in soap operas before gaining wider recognition as the voice of Dot in Pixar's 1998 film A Bug's Life and in the 2000 sports drama Remember the Titans with Denzel Washington.
She found fame playing cheerleader Claire Bennet in the superhero drama Heroes. She later starred as country singer Juliette Barnes for six seasons on Nashville.
The Nashville role earned her two Golden Globe nominations for best supporting actress, while her singing produced 11 entries on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs charts.
Her film credits included the comedy-drama Raising Helen, the 2006 film Bring It On: All or Nothing, and appearances in Scream 4 and Scream VI as Kirby Reed.
Panettiere is survived by her 11-year-old daughter, Kaya. Following a life-threatening birth, the actress later gave full custody of the child to her former fiancé, Ukrainian boxer Wladimir Klitschko.
