Authorities investigate drug source after actress's death in South Carolina
Law enforcement is examining the relationship between the late actress and a Los Angeles drug supplier, while toxicology results remain pending.
A woman identified as actress Hayden Panettiere was found unresponsive in her Greenville, South Carolina home on Sunday and was pronounced dead at 2:32 p.m. after emergency responders performed advanced cardiac life support. A friend called 911 at 1:51 p.m., reporting cardiac arrest. Law enforcement sources told media outlets that Panettiere had obtained prescription medications, including oxycodone, from a supplier in Los Angeles. They said she consumed several of these drugs on a flight from Los Angeles to South Carolina the day before her death and took an oxycodone tablet the morning of the incident. The Drug Enforcement Administration in Los Angeles is reportedly "actively piecing together the relationship between Hayden and her drug dealer." Toxicology results have not yet been released.
"We are working to understand the connections and any potential illegal distribution involved," a DEA spokesperson said. The investigation continues as officials await the pending toxicology report.