Hayden Panettiere is believed by law enforcement sources to have died after taking an oxycodone pill laced with fentanyl, although toxicology results are still pending.
Investigators believe the actress had been obtaining black-market prescription drugs, including oxycodone, from a long-term dealer in Los Angeles. The relationship is now being examined by the Drug Enforcement Administration as part of an effort to trace the pill believed to have caused her death.
Sources connected to the case said Panettiere took several drugs bought from the dealer during a flight from Los Angeles to South Carolina the day before she died. They believe she took an oxycodone pill on the morning of her death and that it may have contained fentanyl.
The investigation is being conducted by the DEA in both Los Angeles and South Carolina, alongside South Carolina law enforcement. Authorities have cautioned that their current theory cannot be confirmed until the toxicology examination is complete.
Investigation into alleged drug supply
When first responders arrived at the apartment where Panettiere and her boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, had been staying, Hickerson handed them a bag containing her prescription medication.
Hickerson administered Narcan after finding Panettiere unresponsive, but the emergency treatment was unsuccessful before paramedics arrived.
Investigators are examining whether any of the medication in the bag was contaminated with fentanyl, and are working to establish whether it came from the Los Angeles dealer.
The case has been compared by investigators to that of rapper Mac Miller, in which a drug dealer was convicted of supplying drugs, including pills laced with fentanyl, that caused his death.
