Hayden Panettiere death investigation examines possible counterfeit drug link

Panettiere's representative stressed that the circumstances surrounding her death remain under investigation

Federal authorities are investigating whether Hayden Panettiere obtained counterfeit drugs from a Southern California dealer before her death, according to a source familiar with the investigation.

The Heroes and Nashville actress was found in cardiac arrest at an apartment in Greenville, South Carolina, on August 16. Medics were unable to revive her. Panettiere was 36.

The Greenville County coroner has not yet determined her cause or manner of death, with toxicology results still pending. An autopsy reportedly found no signs of trauma that contributed to her death.

According to the source cited by CNN, Drug Enforcement Administration agents and Los Angeles-area authorities have questioned several people while examining whether Panettiere may have taken a counterfeit pill believing it was another substance. Pending toxicology testing will be important in determining whether a counterfeit narcotic was involved and how it may have interacted with any other substances in her system.

The investigation has focused on both California, where Panettiere lived, and South Carolina, where she died. Authorities may also expand their inquiries to other locations as the investigation develops.

Panettiere's representative, Kasey Kitchen, stressed that the circumstances surrounding her death remain under investigation and that reports about the cause of death should not be treated as confirmed until toxicology results are complete.

Authorities previously said there were no signs of foul play in the initial investigation. Panettiere had spoken publicly about her struggles with substance abuse, including in her memoir This Is Me: A Reckoning, but investigators have not yet publicly established what caused her death.

The investigation remains ongoing as authorities await the toxicology findings.