Hayden Panettiere’s neighbors say three people repeatedly made brief deliveries to her West Hollywood condo for years, with one of the visitors allegedly appearing for the final time only a week before her death.
Residents of the building told TMZ they regularly saw two young women and one man arrive separately at Panettiere’s home beginning in 2021. The neighbors suspected the visitors were delivering drugs, but authorities have not publicly identified any of the three people or confirmed what was inside the bags they allegedly brought.
The accounts emerged as federal investigators separately examine whether nonprescription pills obtained in Los Angeles played a role in Panettiere’s Aug. 16 death. The Los Angeles Times reported that DEA agents and local investigators have questioned several people while focusing on pills described as counterfeit oxycodone and an alleged Los Angeles supplier.
The Greenville County Coroner’s Office said that it had not released a cause or manner of death and was still waiting for toxicology results.
Neighbors Say the Visitors Would Drop Off Small Bags and Leave
The residents described a pattern involving the same three people over a period of several years. According to TMZ, the two women appeared to be in their early twenties, while the man appeared to be in his mid-thirties. The three did not arrive together. Instead, neighbors said each person would come to Panettiere’s unit separately.
One resident recalled seeing small bags being handed over during the visits. Panettiere would reportedly answer the door, accept the delivery and the visitor would leave without staying inside.
The residents told TMZ they became suspicious because the encounters were so brief and because they repeatedly involved the same people. Their belief that the visitors were drug dealers, however, remains an allegation based on what they observed.
One Man Allegedly Appeared a Week Before Panettiere Died
One of the neighbors said the male visitor was last seen at the condo approximately one week before Panettiere died in South Carolina.
That resident recalled the man carrying a bag marked with the name “Brian.” Panettiere had an on-and-off relationship with Brian Hickerson, but there is no evidence that the bag belonged to Hickerson or that its label had anything to do with him.
TMZ reported that sources close to Hickerson said he and Panettiere frequently ordered through Postmates. The outlet noted that ordinary delivery orders would not necessarily explain why neighbors said the same three individuals repeatedly appeared over several years.
The DEA Probe Is Focused on Pills Obtained in Los Angeles
The Los Angeles Times independently reported that DEA agents and local investigators have questioned several people about Panettiere’s death and are examining whether she obtained nonprescription pills from an area dealer.
Sources familiar with that investigation told the newspaper that investigators are particularly interested in what was described as counterfeit oxycodone. Counterfeit pills sold as prescription medication can contain other substances, including fentanyl.
TMZ went further, reporting that law enforcement sources believe Panettiere had a longtime Los Angeles supplier who provided black-market prescription drugs. Those sources believe she took an oxycodone pill on the morning she died and suspect it contained fentanyl. That remains an investigative theory. The DEA is involved in the active investigation alongside local authorities.
The Coroner Says Toxicology Results Are Still Pending
After reports circulated claiming Panettiere’s cause of death had been established, the Greenville County Coroner’s Office told FOX Carolina on Sept. 14 that it had released no new determination.
“We have not released anything at this time,” the office said, adding that an official release would be issued when the findings were ready.
Panettiere was found unresponsive at an apartment in Greenville on Aug. 16. First responders performed CPR and other lifesaving measures before she was pronounced dead at age 36.
The coroner previously said Panettiere had no visible injuries or trauma and that preliminary findings showed no signs of foul play or suspicious circumstances. Toxicology and additional testing are still required before the cause and manner can be finalized.
Panettiere Had Spoken Openly About Addiction and Recovery
Panettiere had discussed her history with alcohol and opioids publicly long before the current investigation. During a lengthy May interview with Jay Shetty, released shortly before publication of her memoir This Is Me: A Reckoning, she spoke about addiction, trauma, anxiety and the cycles she had struggled to leave behind.
She had previously said that someone on her team began giving her what she called “happy pills” before public appearances when she was a teenager. Panettiere later developed problems with opioids and alcohol and underwent treatment.
Her memoir revisited those experiences as part of a broader account of growing up in entertainment, postpartum depression, abusive relationships and recovery.