“A flood of messages about drugs”: DEA investigating Hayden Panettiere's longtime drug dealer as the net closes in
Investigators trying to determine who supplied pills to the actress before her death
The investigation into Hayden Panettiere ’s death is moving beyond the circumstances in which she was found and toward a longer history of alleged drug purchases that investigators are now trying to reconstruct.
According to reports citing sources with direct knowledge of the case, the Drug Enforcement Administration is examining years of text messages between Panettiere and an alleged drug dealer, with some of those conversations continuing into the week she died.
“There are a slew of messages about drugs,” a source told TMZ. The same source said Panettiere and the alleged dealer were “very specific about purchasing black market pills,” making the messages a potentially significant part of the federal inquiry.
Panettiere , 36, was found unresponsive at an Airbnb in Greenville, South Carolina, on August 16. Emergency responders attempted to revive her, but she was later pronounced dead.
Toxicology results remain critical
Investigators reportedly believe Panettiere may have taken an oxycodone pill contaminated with fentanyl, but that theory has not yet been confirmed by toxicology.
Those results are still pending and are expected to play a central role in determining what substances were in her system and whether investigators can trace them back to a specific source. A representative for Panettiere has stressed that the case remains open.
“The investigation is still ongoing. Law enforcement has not disclosed who they are targeting, but I am told the case is complex. We hope to have more answers soon,” the representative said.
Panettiere had reportedly flown from Los Angeles to South Carolina shortly before her death and was said to have brought several medications with her.
Her boyfriend, Brian Hickerson , later gave police a bag containing medications that belonged to Panettiere . Those pills could prove important if testing determines that any were counterfeit or contained substances other than what they appeared to be.
The reported text messages aren't the only lead being examined. Neighbors at Panettiere ’s West Hollywood residence told TMZ they had seen several people visiting over a period of years, sometimes arriving with small bags and leaving soon after she answered the door.
One man was reportedly seen visiting with a bag during the week Panettiere died, but no publicly identified suspect has been charged in connection with her death.
The DEA’s interest in the text records could prove especially important because digital communications may help investigators establish dates, substances discussed and possible transactions.
Similar evidence has been used in other federal drug investigations involving fatal overdoses, including cases in which authorities sought to identify the source of counterfeit pills containing fentanyl. At this stage, however, Panettiere ’s case remains unresolved.
The messages may provide investigators with a roadmap, but the toxicology results and any evidence linking specific pills to a supplier will likely determine whether the investigation leads to criminal charges.
