Investigators Think Hayden Panettiere Took a Black-Market Oxycodone Pill That Turned Out to Be Laced With Fentanyl

14 Sep 2026, 13:16 by Jerome London · Thought Catalog

ANGELA WEISS / AFP via Getty Images

Updated 45 seconds ago, September 14, 2026

Investigators looking into the death of actress Hayden Panettiere now believe she may have taken a black-market oxycodone pill that was laced with fentanyl, according to law enforcement sources cited in new reports.

Hayden Panettiere and Brian Hickerson exit through the back of Craig’s restaurant in August 2018. Photo by MEGA.

Panettiere flew from California to South Carolina with several illegally obtained prescription drugs on August 15, and authorities suspect an oxycodone tablet she took the next day contained fentanyl. Toxicology results haven’t been completed, so her cause and manner of death remain undetermined.

TMZ reports that multiple law enforcement sources tied the medications to a dealer Panettiere had used for years in Los Angeles. The DEA’s Los Angeles office is investigating that relationship and trying to trace the pill to its source.

Panettiere died at 36 on August 16. Her on-and-off boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, gave first responders a bag containing her prescription medications when they arrived at the South Carolina apartment where the couple had been staying.

Hayden Panettiere is emotional after her younger brother Jansen’s celebration of life event in their hometown of Palisades, New York. The grieving actress was seen in tears following the memorial at the scenic Palisades Presbyterian Church which she

A police report also placed Brian and his brother Zach Hickerson inside the Judson Mill Lofts complex when Panettiere died. On Saturday night, September 12, police handcuffed both brothers at Wild Wing Cafe in Greenville after responding to a reported assault. Zach was arrested for disorderly conduct, while Brian was released without charges.

Footage obtained by TMZ showed Brian shouting, “GPD leaked it when my girlfriend died,” while he was handcuffed on the pavement, an apparent reference to Panettiere. Her death investigation remained active at the time of the bar incident.

Emergency crews found Panettiere in cardiac arrest and began advanced life support. Dispatch audio obtained by TMZ recorded an officer saying, “Responding. Overdose. CPR is in progress.” Resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful, and she was pronounced dead at 2:32 p.m.

An autopsy found no trauma that contributed to her death. The Greenville County Coroner’s Office said the investigation remains active while officials await additional studies.

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