The Greenville County Coroner has not released a cause of death for Hayden Panettiere, despite a TMZ report claiming fentanyl-laced oxycodone. The DEA-backed probe now spans California and South Carolina.

Nearly a month after Hayden Panettiere was found unresponsive in Greenville, South Carolina, the official cause of her death remains unannounced — even as media reports claim to know what killed her and investigators widen a criminal probe that now stretches across two states.

What is officially confirmed

Panettiere, known for her roles in Heroes, Nashville and Ice Princess, died on Aug. 16 at age 36. She was found in cardiac arrest at a residence at the Judson Mill Lofts in Greenville after a call from her boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, and his brother, Zach Hickerson, who reported she was unresponsive. First responders attempted resuscitation; she was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Greenville City Police Department is leading the investigation, with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration assisting since Aug. 20. The Greenville County Coroner's Office confirmed to Entertainment Weekly that a toxicology report could take up to eight weeks to complete — a timeline that has not yet run out.

ABC News, citing sources, reports the investigation is now being conducted in both Los Angeles and South Carolina, focusing on what drugs may have played a role in her death and where they came from. Sources said investigators could be looking at street-level dealers who may have supplied drugs to Panettiere. She had flown from Los Angeles to South Carolina the day before her death, according to those sources.

The gap between reporting and confirmation

On Sept. 14, TMZ reported — citing multiple law enforcement sources — that Panettiere died after ingesting oxycodone laced with fentanyl, describing a single pill obtained from what it called a long-time dealer in Los Angeles. Other outlets amplified the claim, and the story was framed in several places as a confirmed cause of death.

It is not. The Greenville County Coroner's Office said no cause or manner of death has been released. "This office has not released anything as of now. We will send out an email release once the cause and manner of death are ready for release," spokesperson Shelton England said. The office issued that statement specifically in response to the TMZ story.

That distinction matters. Attributions to unnamed law enforcement sources are not equivalent to a coroner's findings, and in this case the two are not yet aligned. Readers should treat the fentanyl-laced-pill account as a reported allegation, not an established fact, until the coroner publishes a ruling.

Investigation activity around the case

The probe has not stayed quiet. Over the weekend of Sept. 12–13, Zach Hickerson was arrested on a disorderly conduct charge after an altercation at a Wild Wing Cafe in Greenville. Police said he was highly intoxicated and yelling profanities in public. He was released Sunday on a personal recognizance bond of $257.50. Brian Hickerson was among several people detained during the investigation but was not charged in that incident.

Brian Hickerson's attorney said after Panettiere's death that the matter remains under investigation and that police had confirmed there were no signs of foul play.

Context

Panettiere spoke publicly about her struggles with substance abuse, including in her memoir This Is Me: A Reckoning, released in May, and in interviews. She described entering rehabilitation in 2020 after a doctor warned her she faced a possible liver transplant if she did not stop drinking.

Her mother has since broken her silence on the death, and colleagues including Scream co-star Courteney Cox have paid tribute, calling her "a really wonderful actor."

What comes next

The central unanswered question — the official cause and manner of death — depends on the toxicology results and the coroner's ruling. Until then, the DEA-backed investigation into the source of any drugs involved is likely to continue, and the gap between anonymous-source reporting and formal findings is likely to persist.

Gloobeam will update this story when the Greenville County Coroner's Office releases its findings.