Police investigating Hayden Panettiere’s death have reportedly uncovered a “slew of messages” exchanged between the actress and a suspected long-time drug dealer before she died after taking a fentanyl-laced pill, according to reports.
Sources told TMZ that Panettiere had allegedly been asking the dealer to help locate “black market pills” before her sudden death last month at age 36.
People familiar with the investigation said the pair exchanged multiple messages about drugs over a period of time. The Drug Enforcement Administration is now examining those communications as part of its probe into the actress’s death.
Panettiere had previously spoken publicly about her struggles with addiction. Sources said the messages between her and the suspected dealer may date back several years.
Earlier reports said Panettiere traveled from Los Angeles to South Carolina on the day she died, bringing a bag containing “various pills” with her for the trip.
Police investigating Hayden Panettiere’s death have reportedly found a “slew of messages” between the actress and a suspected long-time drug dealer before her fatal exposure to a fentanyl-laced pill.
Panettiere reportedly brought a bag of pills from Los Angeles for a vacation with her on-off boyfriend Brian Hickerson shortly before her death after she allegedly took a fentanyl-laced pill.
The actress traveled with her on-off boyfriend, real estate agent Brian Hickerson, to his home state. Investigators believe she overdosed shortly after arriving after taking an oxycodone pill allegedly laced with fentanyl.
Police said Hickerson administered Narcan after finding Panettiere unresponsive at their rental apartment. The medication is used to rapidly reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.
Investigators are now working to determine where the fatal pill came from and trace it to the dealer who allegedly supplied it.
No arrests have been made in connection with Panettiere’s death. Authorities have also not released the official toxicology report, and the investigation remains ongoing.
Hickerson reportedly met with DEA investigators last week as authorities continued examining the circumstances surrounding Panettiere’s death.
He also reportedly handed police a bag containing Panettiere’s medications after she was found dead. Sources told TMZ the contents could indicate whether other pills were contaminated with fentanyl.
Neighbors of Panettiere, who was a mother of one, also told the outlet they had observed three people acting suspiciously around her apartment in the years before her death.
According to the neighbors, the individuals arrived separately, often carrying small bags. They allegedly watched Panettiere open the door quickly, take the bag and then allow the visitor to leave.
The neighbors allegedly suspected that the three people – two women and a man – were drug dealers.
On the week that Panettiere died, the neighbors said they saw the man arrive at her Los Angeles home.
Neighbors of Panettiere alleged that they had seen three suspicious people coming and going from her Los Angeles apartment (above) for years before her death
The actress had been open about her difficulties dealing with fame, especially as a child star, in the months before her death
The actress’s death came after a long struggle with alcohol and opiates, which saw her spend eight months in rehab in 2020 after contracting jaundice. She wrote in her memoir that a doctor told her she would be ‘dead within five years’ if she didn’t stop drinking.
Hickerson was at the scene along with his brother Zachary when she was pronounced dead, according to a police report.
Panettiere and Hickerson had a turbulent on-off relationship for years, including Hickerson facing multiple domestic violence charges.
In 2021, he served 13 days in custody for allegedly injuring her, and she had described enduring several bouts of physical abuse in her 2026 tell-all memoir, ‘This Is Me: A Reckoning.’
Following Panettiere’s death, Hickerson’s brother Zachary was arrested for disorderly conduct over a bar fight after he and his brother were reportedly heckled over her overdose. He was released on bond on Sunday.
Details of Panettiere’s death inside the South Carolina apartment are still unfolding, with detectives previously confirming to Our News Outlet that they responded to an apartment block in Greenville after they received a 911 call from an ‘acquaintance’ of Panettiere, describing her as ‘unresponsive’.
Panettiere died aged 36 in South Carolina last month
In the dispatch audio of the call made at 1.51pm, a female dispatcher described Panettiere as suffering a ‘cardiac arrest.’ A few moments later, a male dispatcher could be heard saying that she had suffered a suspected overdose.
Greenville County Sheriff’s Office said that the actress’s autopsy had been completed and that no signs of trauma were found on the star’s body.
The former child star was known for her role as cheerleader Claire Bennet on the hit NBC series Heroes and Juliette Barnes in Nashville.
Her appearance in the musical drama saw her receive two nominations for best supporting actress at the 2013 and 2014 Golden Globes.
Panettiere also appeared in the Scream franchise as Kirby Reed, and lent her voice to the video games Until Dawn and Kingdom Hearts.
Her brother Jansen died in February 2023 from ‘an enlarged heart’ at the age of 28.
Panettiere said that she felt like she ‘lost half of her soul’ following his death, and revealed that the stress of his loss resulted in her body ‘ballooning out,’ which left her in a ‘really bad’ and ‘destructive’ place.
