PALISADES, N.Y. — Rockland County native and actress Hayden Panettiere is believed to have taken a single pill containing fentanyl shortly before her death last month, according to new reporting citing law enforcement sources involved in the investigation.
TMZ reported Monday that investigators believe the pill was sold as oxycodone but was laced with fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid. The outlet reported that Panettiere had met with an alleged longtime drug supplier in Los Angeles before traveling to South Carolina, where she died Aug. 16 at age 36.
The new development does not yet amount to an official toxicology finding or final cause of death. As recently as last week, authorities said toxicology results remained pending. An autopsy reportedly found no signs of trauma, and authorities have not announced evidence of foul play.
According to TMZ’s Monday report, law enforcement sources believe Panettiere took just one of the suspected pills on the day she died and that fentanyl in the pill proved fatal. Investigators are now reportedly attempting to determine where the drug originated.
The Drug Enforcement Administration has become involved in the investigation, with officials in both Los Angeles and South Carolina reportedly following leads involving a possible drug supplier. Brian Hickerson, Panettiere’s on-again, off-again boyfriend, met with DEA officials as part of the investigation, according to People and other outlets. Hickerson has not been identified as a suspect.
Panettiere was found unresponsive at a residence in Greenville, South Carolina. Emergency personnel responded to a report of a woman in cardiac arrest, and efforts were made to revive her. Narcan, a medication used to reverse opioid overdoses, was reportedly present at the scene. She was pronounced dead Aug. 16, five days before what would have been her 37th birthday.
A Rockland County childhood before Hollywood fame
For Rockland County residents, Panettiere’s death has a particular local connection. Hayden Lesley Panettiere was born Aug. 21, 1989, in Palisades, a hamlet in Orangetown, and grew up in the area.
She was the daughter of Lesley R. Vogel, a former soap opera actress, and Alan Lee “Skip” Panettiere, a New York City Fire Department captain. She attended South Orangetown Middle School in Blauvelt before the demands of her acting career led her to continue her education through homeschooling.
Her career began extraordinarily early. Panettiere appeared in a Playskool commercial when she was just 11 months old and had appeared in more than 50 commercials by age 5. She went on to play Sarah Roberts on One Life to Live and Lizzie Spaulding on Guiding Light.
Her film work included Remember the Titans, Racing Stripes and Ice Princess, while she also provided voice performances for A Bug’s Life and the Kingdom Hearts video-game franchise. Her work on the A Bug’s Life Read-Along earned her a Grammy nomination while she was still a child.
Panettiere became internationally known for portraying Claire Bennet, a cheerleader with regenerative powers, on NBC’s Heroes from 2006 to 2010. She later starred as country singer Juliette Barnes on Nashville from 2012 to 2018, earning two Golden Globe nominations. She also played fan-favorite Kirby Reed in the Scream franchise, returning to the role in Scream VI in 2023.
Panettiere had spoken publicly about addiction
In the years before her death, Panettiere was candid about her struggles with alcohol and opioid addiction, as well as postpartum depression following the birth of her daughter, Kaya, in 2014.
She previously told People that she had been given what she described as “happy pills” as a teenager before red-carpet appearances and said she did not understand at the time how that early exposure could contribute to later addiction. Her substance use intensified as she grew older, she said publicly.
Panettiere also described severe health consequences from alcohol abuse, including liver problems, and said doctors had warned her that continued drinking could be fatal.
She revisited those experiences in her memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, released in May, just months before her death. The book examined her childhood in the entertainment industry, addiction, relationships and efforts to rebuild her life.
Panettiere also returned to Rockland County during difficult periods in her life, describing her hometown as a place where she could rest and reconnect with family and memories of her younger brother, actor and artist Jansen Panettiere, who died in 2023 at age 28.
She is survived by her daughter Kaya, whom she shared with former heavyweight boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko.
Panettiere’s death prompted tributes from actors and colleagues including Connie Britton, Viola Davis, Selma Blair and others who remembered her both for her talent and for her willingness to discuss addiction, depression and other deeply personal struggles publicly.
Federal and local authorities continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding her death and the source of the pill she is believed to have taken. Until the coroner releases the completed toxicology findings and an official cause of death, reports that fentanyl caused her death remain based on law-enforcement sources rather than a final medical determination.