Text messages between Hayden Panettiere and an alleged drug dealer are a central focus of a US Drug Enforcement Administration investigation into the circumstances of her death, according to people with direct knowledge of the inquiry.
The exchanges reportedly continued for years, including during the week Panettiere died. Investigators are examining messages in which the actor and the dealer allegedly discussed buying pills on the black market.
One person familiar with the investigation said: “There are a slew of messages about drugs.”
The DEA believes Panettiere died after taking an oxycodone pill contaminated with fentanyl. She is said to have taken several pills with her on a flight from Los Angeles to South Carolina on the night before her death.
Her boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, gave police a bag containing Panettiere’s medication. Investigators are examining whether other pills in the collection may also have been contaminated with the potentially deadly drug.
Neighbours at Panettiere’s West Hollywood home have told investigators they saw three people — two women and a man — visiting the property separately over a number of years. They reportedly arrived carrying small bags, which Panettiere would collect at the door before they left.
The man was seen at the property with a bag during the week Panettiere died. The neighbours suspected that all three visitors were drug dealers, although that has not been established.
Text messages have played a role in previous investigations into fatal drug supplies, including the case involving rapper Mac Miller, in which a dealer was imprisoned.
Toxicology results in Panettiere’s case are not expected to be available for at least several weeks.
