Federal Agents Search Hayden Panettiere's LA Home After Her Death
Investigators are reportedly seeking evidence to link a drug dealer to the fentanyl-laced pill that led to the actress's death.
Federal drug agents searched the Los Angeles home of actress Hayden Panettiere nine days after her death, according to a report from TMZ.
Panettiere, 36, died on August 16 from a fentanyl-laced pill. Law enforcement sources told TMZ that investigators were searching her home for evidence that could link a drug dealer to the substance.
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) obtained a warrant and executed the search on August 25. Agents were reportedly looking for evidence connecting them to black market controlled substances and were testing various drugs the star may have been consuming for fentanyl. The search reportedly included prescription medications, recreational drugs, and drug paraphernalia that could shed light on Panettiere’s activities and potentially identify their sources.
This search follows reports that investigators found a series of messages between Panettiere and her suspected long-time drug dealer. Sources indicated that the "Heroes" actress had been asking her dealer to find "black market pills" prior to her death. The DEA is reportedly examining these messages, which are said to date back years.
Panettiere had previously been open about her struggles with drug addiction. Before her death, she reportedly took a bag of "various pills" on a flight from Los Angeles to South Carolina for a vacation with her on-off boyfriend, Brian Hickerson. Investigators believe she may have overdosed on a fentanyl-laced oxycodone pill shortly after arriving.
Hickerson reportedly administered Narcan, an opioid overdose reversal medication, after finding Panettiere unresponsive in their rental apartment. Investigators are working to trace the fatal pill back to its alleged dealer. Hickerson reportedly met with DEA investigators and provided them with a bag of Panettiere's medications, which could potentially reveal other laced drugs.
Neighbors of Panettiere had reportedly observed three suspicious individuals visiting her Los Angeles apartment for years before her death. They described these individuals, two women and a man, as arriving separately, often with small bags, and Panettiere would quickly take the bag before they left, leading neighbors to suspect they were drug dealers. The man was reportedly seen arriving at her home the week Panettiere died.
Panettiere's death occurred after a history of struggles with alcohol and opiates. She spent eight months in rehab in 2020, and a doctor had reportedly warned her she might not survive more than five years if she continued drinking. Hickerson was present at the scene when Panettiere was pronounced dead. Their relationship had been turbulent, with Hickerson facing multiple domestic violence charges, including a 13-day jail sentence in 2021 for alleged assault. Panettiere detailed experiencing physical abuse in her 2022 memoir.
Following Panettiere's death, Hickerson's brother, Zachary, was arrested for disorderly conduct after a bar fight where he and his brother were allegedly heckled about the overdose.
Details of Panettiere's death in South Carolina are still emerging. The Greenville County Sheriff's Office confirmed that an autopsy was completed, and no signs of trauma were found on her body. The official toxicology report has not yet been released, and the investigation remains ongoing. No arrests have been made in connection with her death.