Update: Investigation Into Hayden Panettiere’s Death Focuses on Suspected Fentanyl-Laced Oxycodone Pill

GREENVILLE, S.C. — New details have emerged in the investigation into the death of actress Hayden Panettiere, with investigators now focusing on a suspected fentanyl-laced oxycodone pill as a possible cause of her death.

Panettiere, known for her roles in Heroes, Nashville and the Scream franchise, died August 16 at age 36 after being found unresponsive at a residence in Greenville, South Carolina.

Investigators believe Panettiere may have taken what she thought was an oxycodone pill on the morning of her death that potentially contained fentanyl. Toxicology testing remains pending, and an official cause and manner of death have not yet been determined.

Authorities are also investigating where the drugs Panettiere reportedly obtained came from. Federal investigators are focusing on a suspected Los Angeles drug dealer who may have supplied her with black-market prescription medication, including oxycodone.

Panettiere reportedly obtained several drugs in Los Angeles before traveling to South Carolina. Investigators believe she took multiple substances during the trip and later consumed what she believed was oxycodone on the morning she died. Authorities are working to determine whether the pill was counterfeit and contained fentanyl.

The Drug Enforcement Administration is involved in the investigation and has questioned people connected to Panettiere as authorities attempt to trace the source of the drugs.

Her on-again, off-again boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, has met with DEA investigators but has not been identified as a suspect.

Hickerson and his brother were at the residence when Panettiere was found unresponsive. Emergency dispatch communications referenced a possible overdose, and Narcan was administered during efforts to revive her.

First responders found Panettiere in cardiac arrest and performed CPR and other lifesaving measures. She was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after 2:30 p.m.

An autopsy performed the following day found no physical trauma that would have contributed to her death. Authorities have also said there were no initial indications of foul play or suspicious circumstances.

The suspected fentanyl-laced pill remains an investigative theory rather than Panettiere’s confirmed cause of death. Toxicology results have not yet been released and are expected to determine what substances were in her system.

Panettiere had previously spoken publicly about her struggles with alcohol and opioid addiction and periods of treatment and recovery.

The investigation now spans South Carolina and California as authorities work to determine what Panettiere consumed before her death and where the suspected counterfeit medication originated.

The official cause and manner of Panettiere’s death will be determined following completion of the toxicology testing.