More than six federal agents were seen entering Hayden Panettiere’s West Hollywood home on August 25, nine days after she died in South Carolina. At the time, witnesses knew they had a warrant. What they did not know was which agency had sent them.
TMZ now reports that the agents were with the DEA and that the search was part of the investigation into drugs Panettiere may have obtained before her death. According to the outlet’s law enforcement sources, the warrant covered black market controlled substances, prescription medications, recreational drugs and drug paraphernalia.
Agents also wanted any drugs recovered from the home tested for fentanyl. Investigators have been looking into reports that Panettiere bought pills outside normal prescription channels in Los Angeles, including oxycodone that may have contained fentanyl.
None of that has been established as her official cause of death. Panettiere died in Greenville on August 16 at 36, and the Greenville County Coroner’s Office is still waiting on toxicology before releasing a cause and manner of death.
The August Search Was Initially a Mystery
The first account of the search came from Us Weekly on August 26. A witness said more than six federal agents had entered Panettiere’s residence the previous evening with a warrant. There was no explanation for the visit, and even the agency involved was unclear. When Entertainment Weekly followed up, the FBI’s Los Angeles office said it was unaware of an FBI operation at the property.
Three weeks later, TMZ identified the agents as DEA personnel and reported what the warrant allowed them to look for. Along with drugs and medications, paraphernalia was on the list. The outlet’s sources said investigators hoped evidence from the condo could help them trace substances back to whoever provided them. TMZ did not identify a specific item seized during the search.
The DEA inquiry was already reaching beyond the condo by then. The Los Angeles Times reported that federal agents and local investigators had questioned several people about controlled substances and medications connected to Panettiere.
Investigators Reportedly Obtained Years of Messages About Pills
Another lead came from Panettiere’s phone communications. In a separate September 15 report, TMZ said investigators had obtained years of messages between Panettiere and a person its sources described as a longtime drug supplier. The exchanges allegedly continued until the week she died.
The messages included discussions about buying pills on the black market, according to the outlet. Oxygen reported on the same alleged communications and quoted a source familiar with the investigation as saying there were “a slew of messages about drugs.” Greenville Police Sgt. Diana Munoz confirmed to Oxygen that the DEA was assisting with the case but did not discuss the evidence federal agents had collected.
No alleged supplier has been publicly identified or charged in connection with Panettiere’s death, and authorities have not released the messages. The Los Angeles Times separately reported that investigators were examining pills allegedly obtained from a dealer in Los Angeles, giving federal agents a California trail to pursue while authorities in South Carolina handled the death investigation.
Police in South Carolina Were Shown a Bag of Her Medications
Panettiere had traveled away from Los Angeles before her death. Police and emergency responders were called to a Greenville residence on August 16 after she was found unresponsive and in cardiac arrest. Attempts to revive her were unsuccessful.
A police report reviewed by the Los Angeles Times says Brian Hickerson showed an officer a “bag of medications” Panettiere had been taking. The available report does not establish that anything in the bag caused her death, nor have authorities publicly provided a complete list of what it contained.
That left investigators with evidence in two states: medications and circumstances surrounding Panettiere’s final hours in South Carolina, and questions about where she had obtained pills while living in Los Angeles. TMZ has reported that Hickerson also spoke with the DEA while agents tried to identify a possible supplier.
The Coroner Has Not Confirmed Fentanyl as a Cause of Death
An autopsy was performed on August 17, one day after Panettiere died. No trauma that contributed to her death was found, but the examination did not produce an immediate cause. Toxicology testing was ordered, with the coroner previously warning that the results could take as long as eight weeks.
Reports about oxycodone and possible fentanyl have continued while that testing is underway. They are based on what law enforcement sources say investigators are pursuing, not on a completed finding from the medical examiner. The Greenville County Coroner’s Office made that clear when Entertainment Weekly sought an update on September 14.
“We have not released anything at this time,” the office said. “We will send out an email release when ready.”