Coroner Rules Hayden Panettiere, 36, Died of Accidental Fentanyl Overdose

Q: With DEA agents investigating counterfeit pills, who supplied the fatal fentanyl cocktail that ended Hayden Panettiere's life?

It is not publicly known who supplied the drugs that killed Hayden Panettiere. What is known is that the Greenville County Coroner’s Office ruled her death an accident caused by the toxic effects of fentanyl, 4-ANPP, alprazolam, methocarbamol and quetiapine, with fentanyl identified as the fatal drug. Investigators, including DEA agents, have been examining whether she ingested a counterfeit pill — possibly sold as oxycodone — that was laced with fentanyl. Several outlets, citing unnamed law-enforcement sources, reported that federal agents were tracing a suspected pill back to a “longtime” Los Angeles-area drug dealer who allegedly supplied black-market prescription drugs. But no supplier has been officially identified by authorities, and no public charging document in the materials provided names a source. Police in South Carolina said there were no signs of foul play or suspicious circumstances at the scene. Panettiere’s boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, and his brother were present, called 911, and showed officers a bag of her medications, according to reports. That does not establish they supplied the drugs. So the answer, based on verified public information, is that the supplier remains unidentified, though the investigation has reportedly focused on a possible Southern California source tied to suspected counterfeit pills.

3 articles · Updated · CNN · Sep 22

Greenville County’s coroner said Hayden Panettiere died from the toxic effects of fentanyl, 4-ANPP, alprazolam, methocarbamol and quetiapine, and ruled the 36-year-old’s death an accident.
August 16 medics found Panettiere in cardiac arrest at a Greenville, South Carolina, apartment after a 911 call and could not revive her.
Authorities are still investigating whether anyone could face criminal liability for supplying a lethal substance; DEA agents and Los Angeles-area investigators have questioned several people.
Investigators are examining whether she took a counterfeit narcotic and how it may have interacted with other substances in her body.
More than 35,000 U.S. deaths in the past year involved fentanyl or other synthetic opioids, which the CDC says are tied to over half of overdose deaths.