Feds search Hayden Panettiere's LA home for drug evidence amid new clues, report says
Published in News & Features
Federal drug agents in Los Angeles searched the home of actor Hayden Panettiere amid reports she’d been texting a drug dealer before dying from what may have been an oxycodone pill laced with fentanyl.
TMZ said Drug Enforcement Administration officers were inside the “Heroes” star’s West Coast property shortly after she died in a Greenville, S.C., apartment last month.
Investigators were said to have been looking for evidence that could lead to a drug dealer peddling lethal narcotics. It’s believed Panettiere could have died from a single pill. A toxicology analysis is underway.
A text messages thread between the 36-year-old star and an alleged drug dealer spanning years is reportedly being examined.
Panettiere’s polarizing boyfriend Brian Hickerson is said to be cooperating with authorities investigating the actor’s death. He was in the South Carolina apartment where her body was found on Aug. 16. Hickson’s brother reportedly discovered the victim unresponsive while her boyfriend was sleeping in another room.
Friends and family members said after her death that they believed Hickerson was a negative influence on Panettiere. He had a history of abusing her.
Panettiere’s show business peers mourned their colleague during an in memoriam segment during Monday’s night’s Emmy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles. The tribute also honored late filmmaker Rob Reiner. His son Nick had a Monday morning pretrial court hearing in L.A. He’s pleading not guilty to murdering his parents.
During a press conference tied to Reiner’s hearing, L.A. District Attorney Nathan Hochman was asked about Panettiere’s case. He noted Panettiere’s two-state investigation is a federal matter.
________
©2026 New York Daily News. Visit at nydailynews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.







Comments