Federal investigators examining Hayden Panettiere’s death are zeroing in on years of text messages between the actress and a man authorities believe supplied her with drugs, including conversations about buying pills on the black market that continued through the week she died.
The messages have become a central part of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s investigation as agents try to trace the drugs Panettiere may have taken before her death. Sources familiar with the inquiry told TMZ that Panettiere and the alleged supplier were specific about black-market pill purchases, describing a “slew” of messages about drugs.
Federal agents also searched Panettiere’s Los Angeles home on Aug. 25, nine days after she died, under a warrant seeking evidence related to illicit narcotics. Investigators were reportedly interested in drugs found at the residence and whether any could be linked to fentanyl.
Panettiere, 36, was found unresponsive on Aug. 16 at a residence in Greenville, South Carolina. Her official cause and manner of death have not been announced, and toxicology results remain pending.
Law enforcement sources told TMZ that investigators believe Panettiere may have taken an oxycodone pill containing fentanyl. The outlet reported that she also traveled from Los Angeles to South Carolina with several pills allegedly obtained from the same supplier.
Authorities have not publicly confirmed that a fentanyl-laced pill caused her death.
An autopsy completed the day after Panettiere died found no signs of trauma that contributed to her death. Police have also said their initial investigation found no indication of foul play or suspicious circumstances.
Brian Hickerson, Panettiere’s on-again, off-again boyfriend, and his brother Zach Hickerson were at the residence when she went into cardiac arrest. A police report states that Brian showed responding officers a bag of medication Panettiere had been taking. Narcan, which can reverse an opioid overdose, was also reportedly found at the residence.
Brian Hickerson has since spoken with the DEA as part of the investigation. He has not been identified as a suspect or accused of supplying Panettiere with drugs.
The reported text history could give investigators evidence of individual purchases, their timing and the identity of anyone who allegedly supplied Panettiere. Agents would still need to determine whether a specific drug obtained from a particular person contributed to her death before a fatal drug distribution case could be pursued.
Federal drug law carries particularly severe penalties when an unlawfully distributed controlled substance results in death. A conviction can carry a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years and as much as life in federal prison.
Evidence that someone sold drugs to Panettiere would not by itself establish that offense. Prosecutors would need to connect the person charged to the drug that caused the death and prove the required causal link.
The pending toxicology results could play a major role in that determination. Investigators may be able to compare substances found in Panettiere’s system with pills recovered during the investigation and other evidence gathered through the Los Angeles search.
No arrests or charges have been announced in connection with Panettiere’s death, and authorities have not publicly identified the person whose messages are reportedly being examined.
Panettiere’s representative has said the investigation remains ongoing and described the case as complex, adding that law enforcement has not disclosed who investigators may be targeting.
The federal investigation is focused on reconstructing how Panettiere obtained the drugs she may have taken and whether investigators can trace them to a specific supplier. Toxicology results remain pending, and no arrests or charges have been announced.
