The investigation into Hayden Panettiere’s sudden death has taken a major turn, with law enforcement sources reportedly pointing to a single oxycodone pill suspected of being laced with fentanyl.

The 36-year-old actress died on August 16 after she was found unresponsive at a temporary residence in Greenville, South Carolina.

Investigators now believe the deadly pill may have come from a longtime Los Angeles drug supplier, according to a new report. The Drug Enforcement Administration is working to trace that pill back to its source.

The New York Post highlighted the one-pill detail at the center of the new report:

TMZ reports that multiple law enforcement sources connected to the case believe Panettiere took an oxycodone pill on the morning she died and that the pill was contaminated with fentanyl. Those sources said she had allegedly obtained several black-market prescription drugs from a longtime dealer in Los Angeles before traveling to South Carolina.

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The outlet reports that DEA agents in Los Angeles are now piecing together Panettiere’s relationship with that alleged supplier and trying to trace the suspected fatal pill. Authorities are also investigating in South Carolina.

But one critical limit remains: toxicology results are still pending. The report describes the fentanyl-laced pill as the investigators’ working theory, not a final ruling from the coroner.

The new report quickly drew enormous attention online:

The Los Angeles Times reported days earlier that federal and local investigators were focused on where the drugs and medications tied to Panettiere’s death originated. DEA agents and local authorities had questioned several people, while security video from the apartment complex helped investigators build a timeline.

The Times also reported that a police report placed Panettiere’s on-again, off-again boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, and his brother at the apartment when she died. Hickerson reportedly showed an officer a bag containing medications Panettiere had been taking.

Hickerson has spoken with the DEA, according to TMZ, but he has not been accused or charged in connection with Panettiere’s death.

Another major outlet carried the suspected fentanyl-pill development Monday:

ABC News reported that first responders found Panettiere unresponsive and in cardiac arrest. Emergency personnel began advanced life-support measures, but she was pronounced dead at 2:32 p.m.

The Greenville County Coroner’s Office said the autopsy found no signs of trauma that contributed to her death. The office also said the official cause and manner of death would remain pending until investigators completed additional studies.

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That distinction matters because cardiac arrest describes what responders encountered, not what caused Panettiere’s heart to stop.

Panettiere became a star at a young age, playing football-loving Sheryl Yoast in Remember the Titans before gaining wider fame as Claire Bennet on Heroes and Juliette Barnes on Nashville.

She had also spoken publicly about her battles with alcohol and opioid addiction, postpartum depression and recovery. Her memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, was published only months before her death.

The reported involvement of a fentanyl-laced counterfeit pill is a grim reminder of how quickly the illicit drug market can turn one dose into a death sentence. It also explains why investigators are looking beyond the scene in South Carolina and toward the supply chain in Los Angeles.

For now, the strongest available reporting points to a suspected fentanyl-laced oxycodone pill. The final medical finding still belongs to the coroner once the toxicology work is complete.

This is a Guest Post from our friends over at WLTReport. View the original article here.

 

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