Investigators examining the death of Hayden Panettiere have reportedly uncovered a large number of messages exchanged between the actress and a man suspected of being her longtime drug supplier before she allegedly died after taking a fentanyl-contaminated pill.
Sources told TMZ that the former child actress had asked the alleged dealer to obtain “black market pills” in the period before her reported sudden death last month, aged 36.
People familiar with the investigation said the two exchanged multiple texts concerning drugs. The Drug Enforcement Administration is now said to be reviewing those communications as part of its inquiry.
Panettiere had previously spoken publicly about her battle with substance addiction, while sources claimed the messages between her and the suspected dealer stretched back several years.
Earlier reports stated that Panettiere carried a bag containing a mix of pills when she flew from Los Angeles to South Carolina for a vacation on the day she died.
Authorities investigating Hayden Panettiere’s reported death have allegedly found numerous messages between the actress and a suspected longtime drug dealer before she reportedly took a fentanyl-laced pill
Police reportedly believe Panettiere brought a bag of pills from Los Angeles before traveling with on-and-off boyfriend Brian Hickerson, pictured together, shortly before her alleged death involving a fentanyl-contaminated pill
The actress traveled to Hickerson’s home state with her on-and-off boyfriend, real estate agent Brian Hickerson. Detectives reportedly believe she overdosed shortly after arriving after taking an oxycodone pill laced with fentanyl.
Police said Hickerson administered Narcan, a drug designed to rapidly reverse opioid overdoses, after finding Panettiere unresponsive at the apartment they had rented.
Investigators are now reportedly trying to identify the source of the fatal pill and determine whether it can be traced to the dealer alleged to have supplied it.
No arrests have been made in connection with Panettiere’s death, and the official toxicology report has not yet been released. Police say the investigation is ongoing.
Hickerson reportedly met with investigators from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) last week as they continued their probe into her death.
He reportedly gave police a bag of Panettiere’s medications when she was found dead, which sources told TMZ could ‘reveal other pills laced with the deadly drug’ fentanyl.
Neighbors of the mother-of-one also told the outlet that they had seen three suspicious people coming and going from Panettiere’s apartment for years before her death.
The people would reportedly arrive individually, often with a small bag, and they would see Panettiere quickly open the door, take the bag, and then the person would 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 the Daily Mail 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.