Hayden Panettiere's mom makes new statement post-backlash, blames 'toxic' person for death

Key Points:

• Lesley Vogel, mother of late actress Hayden Panettiere, released a new statement clarifying that their estrangement was due to a "toxic individual" she believes contributed to Panettiere's death, without naming him directly.
• Vogel implied that Panettiere's on-again, off-again boyfriend Brian Hickerson, who was present at the time of her apparent overdose, was the toxic influence she referred to, blaming him for negatively impacting her daughter’s life.
• The Drug Enforcement Administration has joined the investigation into Panettiere’s death, which remains under inquiry with no confirmed cause of death yet; police found her body in South Carolina, with no signs of foul play reported.
• Hickerson’s lawyer emphasized the importance of allowing the ongoing investigation to proceed and declined further comment, while Vogel’s initial accusatory remarks against Hickerson sparked backlash from public figures like Gayle King and Holly Robinson Peete.
• Panettiere, 36, had a tumultuous relationship with Hickerson since 2018, marked by domestic violence, and Vogel urged that Hayden be remembered for her talent and the positive impact she made during her life.