New reports shed light on a possible lead in the death of actress Hayden Panettiere, though police have yet to confirm details.

TMZ reported Monday that investigators are working with a theory that Panettiere took an oxycodone pill laced with fentanyl that was purchased from someone in Los Angeles. The report cited law enforcement sources “connected to the case and with direct knowledge.”

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WRAL received the following statement from the Greenville Police Department, which is leading the investigation out of South Carolina:

“This remains an active investigation, and the Greenville County Coroner’s Office has not released a cause of death. We have no further updates.”Greenville Police Department statement on death investigation of Hayden Panettiere

At 2:32 p.m. on August 16, 2026, the 36-year-old actress was pronounced dead at a Greenville apartment complex she was living in.

In the moments leading up to Panettiere’s death, Broadcastify 911 audio captured a call for a reported overdose, with CPR already in progress.

Prior to her death, the 36-year-old opened up about years of personal struggles in her memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning. She spoke about family struggles, postpartum depression, and her battle with drug use and addiction, which she said started when she was a teen.

An opioid overdose can slow breathing and prevent the brain from responding appropriately. WRAL Investigates how an overdose can turn fatal in a matter of minutes if someone’s brain is deprived of oxygen for too long.

The DEA has warned about a rise in fentanyl-laced pills in recent years. The agency reportedly seized more than 47 million fentanyl-laced pills, and 10,000 pounds of fentanyl powder in 2025.

Dalton Bennett, Edgecombe County Community Paramedic Program Manager, warns fentanyl in pressed pills is the primary way the drug shows up in our area today.

“The opioid supply really is a mixture of things, from local anesthetics to you know sedatives to benzos to you know over-the-counter types of medications, so we don't ever see fentanyl really by itself,” he said.

Bennett said fentanyl does serve a medical benefit, but the difference in aid and overdose largely lies in potency.

“From an EMS perspective, we carry fentanyl on the truck,” Bennett said. “The difference is that we know exactly how much we're giving, so really we know what potency we're giving of fentanyl."

The first responder shared street drugs do not come with that same assurance.

Bennett said he also oversees Edgecombe County’s opioid settlement program that includes a post-overdose response team that connects people with community paramedics following nonfatal overdoses or responds in real time to offer services.

The program also provides syringe services and street drug testing in partnership with UNC’s Street Drug Analysis Lab. Officials use those testing results to educate the community about changes and dangers in the illicit drug supply and to tailor local harm-reduction services.

Bennett said he hopes Panettiere’s death can help save other lives, by spreading awareness of the importance of naloxone.

“It's unfortunate about the death. Fentanyl and substance use can affect all people from top to bottom,” Bennett said. “I think something that we could take away from that is to always carry naloxone, whether you think you need it or you don't. Be trained, be prepared, and carry it on your person and in your vehicle.”

The DEA warns 2mg of fentanyl, roughly the size of a few grains of table salt, can be fatal in some cases.