Hayden Panettiere and suspected drug dealer exchanged 'a slew of messages' before her death, report says

Police investigating Hayden Panettiere's death have discovered a 'slew of messages' between the actress and her suspected long-time drug dealer before she died from a fentanyl-laced pill, reports say. Sources told TMZ that the late child star had been urging her drug dealer to find 'black market pills' before her sudden death last month at the age of 36. Insiders close to the ongoing investigation into Panettiere's death said a number of messages 'about drugs' were exchanged between the pair, and the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) is now probing the messages.Panettiere had been open about her struggles with drug addiction in the past, and sources said her messages with the drug dealer dated back years. It was previously reported that on the day Panettiere died, she had taken a bag of 'various pills' on a flight from Los Angeles to go on vacation to South Carolina. Police investigating Hayden Panettiere's death have discovered a 'slew of messages' between the actress and her suspected long-time drug dealer before she died from a fentanyl-laced pill, reports say Panettiere had reportedly taken a bag of pills from Los Angeles for a vacation with her on-off boyfriend Brian Hickerson (together) shortly before she died from fentanyl-laced pill, police sayThe star and her on-off real estate agent boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, had flown to his home state together, and investigators believe she overdosed on a fentanyl-laced oxycodone pill soon after she arrived. Hickerson gave Panettiere a dose of Narcan, a medicine that quickly reverses an opioid overdose, after he found her unresponsive in their rental apartment, police said. Sources said investigators are now working to trace the fatal pill back to the dealer who allegedly sold it to her.No arrests have been made in connection with Panettiere's death, and the official toxicology report has not yet been released. Police say the investigation is ongoing.Hickerson reportedly met with investigators from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) last week as they continued their probe into her death.He reportedly gave police a bag of Panettiere's medications when she was found dead, which sources told TMZ could 'reveal other pills laced with the deadly drug' fentanyl.Neighbors of the mother-of-one also told the outlet that they had seen three suspicious people coming and going from Panettiere's apartment for years before her death. The people would reportedly arrive individually, often with a small bag, and they would see Panettiere quickly open the door, take the bag, and then the person would leave.The neighbors allegedly suspected that the three people - two women and a man - were drug dealers. On the week that Panettiere died, the neighbors said they saw the man arrive at her Los Angeles home. Neighbors of Panettiere alleged that they had seen three suspicious people coming and going from her Los Angeles apartment (above) for years before her death The actress had been open about her difficulties dealing with fame, especially as a child star, in the months before her deathThe actress's death came after a long struggle with alcohol and opiates, which saw her spend eight months in rehab in 2020 after contracting jaundice. She wrote in her memoir that a doctor told her she would be 'dead within five years' if she didn't stop drinking.Hickerson was at the scene along with his brother Zachary when she was pronounced dead, according to a police report.Panettiere and Hickerson had a turbulent on-off relationship for years, including Hickerson facing multiple domestic violence charges. In 2021, he served 13 days in custody for allegedly injuring her, and she had described enduring several bouts of physical abuse in her 2026 tell-all memoir, 'This Is Me: A Reckoning.'Following Panettiere's death, Hickerson's brother Zachary was arrested for disorderly conduct over a bar fight after he and his brother were reportedly heckled over her overdose. He was released on bond on Sunday. Details of Panettiere's death inside the South Carolina apartment are still unfolding, with detectives previously confirming to the Daily Mail that they responded to an apartment block in Greenville after they received a 911 call from an 'acquaintance' of Panettiere, describing her as 'unresponsive'. Panettiere died aged 36 in South Carolina last monthIn the dispatch audio of the call made at 1.51pm, a female dispatcher described Panettiere as suffering a 'cardiac arrest.' A few moments later, a male dispatcher could be heard saying that she had suffered a suspected overdose.Greenville County Sheriff's Office said that the actress's autopsy had been completed and that no signs of trauma were found on the star's body.The former child star was known for her role as cheerleader Claire Bennet on the hit NBC series Heroes and Juliette Barnes in Nashville.Her appearance in the musical drama saw her receive two nominations for best supporting actress at the 2013 and 2014 Golden Globes.Panettiere also appeared in the Scream franchise as Kirby Reed, and lent her voice to the video games Until Dawn and Kingdom Hearts.Her brother Jansen died in February 2023 from 'an enlarged heart' at the age of 28.Panettiere said that she felt like she 'lost half of her soul' following his death, and revealed that the stress of his loss resulted in her body 'ballooning out,' which left her in a 'really bad' and 'destructive' place.