The investigation surrounding actress Hayden Panettiere has taken another turn, with federal authorities reportedly examining years of text messages between the actress and a person described by investigators as her longtime drug supplier.

According to TMZ, the Drug Enforcement Administration is focusing on messages allegedly exchanged between Panettiere and the individual, including conversations reportedly involving purchases of pills obtained outside the legitimate prescription system.

The messages could potentially help investigators reconstruct where drugs came from and what substances Panettiere may have had access to before she was found unresponsive in South Carolina.

But authorities have not publicly confirmed that the messages establish criminal responsibility, and the official cause of Panettiere’s death remains pending toxicology results. Her representative has specifically pushed back against reports based on unnamed sources, saying the investigation remains active and that conflicting information is circulating.

FEDERAL INVESTIGATORS ARE LOOKING AT THE DRUG SUPPLY CHAIN
Panettiere, 36, was found unresponsive at a residence in Greenville, South Carolina, on August 16, 2026.

Her boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, and his brother Zach Hickerson were reportedly at the residence. Emergency responders attempted to revive her, including the use of Narcan, before she was pronounced dead at the scene.

The DEA’s involvement has expanded the investigation beyond the circumstances at the South Carolina residence.

PEOPLE reported that federal agents obtained a warrant and searched Panettiere’s Los Angeles home on August 25 — nine days after her death — looking for evidence related to illicit or black-market narcotics. Investigators reportedly examined medications and other potential evidence that could help establish what substances she possessed and where they came from.

TMZ subsequently reported that investigators were interested in determining whether pills found or associated with Panettiere could have been contaminated with fentanyl.

THE TEXT MESSAGES COULD PROVIDE A NEW CLUE
The newest development concerns Panettiere’s alleged communications with the person described as her drug dealer.

TMZ reported that the two had exchanged messages for years and that the conversations continued until shortly before her final trip to South Carolina.

Sources cited by TMZ claim the messages contained specific discussions about obtaining black-market pills. Investigators are reportedly examining the conversations as part of an effort to understand the relationship and potentially trace the source of drugs involved in the case.

However, the contents of those messages have not been publicly released in full, and no alleged supplier has been publicly identified or charged in connection with Panettiere’s death.

That distinction is important.

A text conversation about purchasing drugs, by itself, does not establish that a particular person supplied a particular pill or that the substance ultimately contributed to Panettiere’s death.

THE FENTANYL THEORY HAS NOT BEEN OFFICIALLY CONFIRMED
Earlier reports from TMZ said law-enforcement sources believed Panettiere may have taken an oxycodone pill contaminated with fentanyl.

According to those reports, investigators were examining whether a pill obtained from an alleged longtime supplier could have contained fentanyl.

But this remains an investigative theory rather than a publicly confirmed medical finding.

The Greenville County Coroner’s Office has said toxicology results are still pending. Panettiere’s representative also issued a statement emphasizing that the investigation remains open and cautioning the public about reports attributed to unnamed sources.

Her representative said the family and those close to Panettiere are waiting for the official investigative process to determine what happened.

BRIAN HICKERSON HAS ALSO SPOKEN WITH FEDERAL INVESTIGATORS
Brian Hickerson, Panettiere’s on-again, off-again boyfriend, has also become part of the investigation’s publicly reported timeline.

PEOPLE previously reported that Hickerson met with federal officials as authorities examined a potential drug supplier. He has not been accused or charged in connection with Panettiere’s death.

Hickerson was also reportedly present when Panettiere was found unresponsive.

According to reporting, he provided authorities with a bag containing medications that Panettiere had been taking. Investigators are interested in determining exactly what substances were involved.

NEIGHBORS REPORTED SUSPICIOUS VISITORS
Another part of the investigation involves reports from neighbors at Panettiere’s West Hollywood residence.

TMZ reported that neighbors remembered seeing several people visiting Panettiere’s apartment over a period of years, sometimes carrying small bags.

One neighbor told TMZ that a man believed by the neighbor to be a possible drug dealer visited the residence shortly before Panettiere traveled to South Carolina.

Those observations, however, are witness accounts and suspicions, not proof that the visitors were drug dealers or that any particular visitor supplied the substance involved in Panettiere’s death.

Investigators would need additional evidence to establish such a connection.

HER REPRESENTATIVE URGES PEOPLE TO WAIT FOR THE OFFICIAL RESULTS
The latest development comes as Panettiere’s family and representatives are asking people not to treat reports from unnamed sources as settled fact.

Her representative said the investigation remains ongoing while authorities await toxicology results, noting that conflicting information has appeared in media reports.

That means several important questions remain unanswered.

What substances were actually present in Panettiere’s system?

Did any pill contain fentanyl?

Where did the pills come from?

And, if investigators identify a supplier, can they establish a direct connection between that person and the substance involved?

For now, those questions remain part of an active investigation.

The DEA’s examination of the reported text messages could provide investigators with another potential piece of the timeline — but until toxicology and other evidence are officially established, the full circumstances surrounding Panettiere’s death remain unresolved.

SOURCES
TMZ — Drug dealer text messages and DEA investigation