Hayden Panettiere death: DEA joins probe into what happened to late star
Fox News has learned the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has been contacted and is assisting in the investigation into actress Hayden Panettiere's death.
TMZ was first to report the news that the DEA has agents assisting parallel death investigations that are already underway.
Panettiere died Sunday at the age of 36.
She was found unresponsive and in cardiac arrest at an apartment in Greenville, South Carolina.
Resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful and the "Nashville" and "Remember the Titans" actress was pronounced dead.
Preliminary autopsy results found no signs of trauma that contributed to her death, Fox News Digital confirmed.
HAYDEN PANETTIERE AND THE CHILD STARS WHOSE RELATIONSHIPS WITH THEIR MOMAGERS TURNED COMPLICATED A police report obtained by Fox News Digital revealed Panettiere's on-and-off boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, and his brother, Zach, called 911 after finding the actress unresponsive.
Hickerson later handed authorities a bag of medication Panettiere had allegedly been taking.
Hickerson was among those at the Greenville apartment when Panettiere was found, and authorities executed a search warrant at the residence, according to the report.
Police also conducted a welfare check Wednesday at a South Carolina home linked to the Hickerson brothers, but no one answered the door.
Panettiere’s death came just weeks after the actress spoke publicly about her past struggles with addiction and the difficult decisions she made while seeking help.
The New York native began acting as a child, landing a role on the soap opera "One Life to Live" at just 4 years old.
She later appeared alongside Denzel Washington in the 2000 football drama "Remember the Titans" before becoming widely known for her role as Claire Bennet on NBC's "Heroes." Panettiere went on to star as country singer Juliette Barnes on "Nashville," a role that earned her two Golden Globe nominations.
The actress had also been candid about her history with alcohol and opioids.
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