New details are emerging about the death of actress Hayden Panettiere, with law enforcement sources reportedly telling TMZ that she took a single pill that may have been laced with fentanyl before she died.
Panettiere, 36, was found unresponsive at a residence in Greenville, South Carolina, on August 16, just days before her 37th birthday. Authorities have been investigating her death as a suspected overdose, though her official cause of death has not yet been released.
According to multiple law enforcement sources cited by TMZ, Panettiere had a longtime drug dealer in Los Angeles who allegedly supplied her with black-market prescription drugs, including oxycodone. Investigators believe Panettiere took several drugs obtained from the dealer during her flight from Los Angeles to South Carolina the day before her death. They believe one pill she took the following morning was an oxycodone pill laced with fentanyl, and the pill may have caused her death.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is now reportedly investigating the source of the pill, Panettiere’s relationship with the drug dealer, as well as other circumstances surrounding her death.
Panettiere was discovered unconscious by her boyfriend Brian Hickerson and his brother Zach Hickerson. Zach said he was returning from a church service to meet up with Panettiere and Brian for lunch. When he knocked on the door, his brother woke up, and they found Panettiere unconscious. Brian immediately administered Narcan, a medication used to reverse opioid overdoses, while Zach called 911, he said. The brothers then performed CPR together while remaining on the phone with 911 dispatchers, but Panettiere could not be revived.
Brian, the actress’ on-again-off-again boyfriend, reportedly met with DEA investigators as part of the ongoing probe. Police documents previously indicated that Panettiere had a “bag of medication” containing nine different substances, though the specific medications were redacted.
An autopsy found no signs of trauma, and authorities have said there were no apparent signs of foul play. Toxicology results are still pending and are expected to determine Panettiere’s official cause of death.
Related: Hayden Panettiere’s Boyfriend’s Brother Reveals What He Did To Try To Save Her
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