Former heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko is asking a court for guardianship over the the 11-year-old daughter he had with actor Hayden Panettiere.
The 36-year-old star died in South Carolina on Aug. 16. Drug use is believed to have been a factor. A toxicology report is expected to determine specifically what was in her system. She was found dead in an Airbnb where her boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, was also present. He’s said to be cooperating with authorities.
Klitschko, who was in a relationship with Panettiere for about nine years prior to their 2018 split, wants to be Kaya Evdokia Klitschko‘s guardian to protect her rights as the beneficiary of her mom’s estate, according to TMZ.
The Ukrainian ex-boxer reportedly argues that assets belonging to Panettiere may have been removed from her property while her death is under investigation. If granted guardianship over their daughter, Klitschko tells the court he can assure his daughter she’ll get what’s rightfully hers.
Federal investigators are said to have removed items from Panettiere’s California home.
He also reportedly alleged in a court filing that his former lover hired a security service prior to her death “arising from a documented concern that an individual had gained unauthorized access to Hayden’s property.”
Panettiere’s estranged mom, Lesley Vogel, has raised concern that some of her daughter’s possessions may have been pawned or moved to a storage unit that isn’t under the estate’s control.
Vogel has also expressed distrust toward Hickerson, who has a history of abusing Panettiere.
“This person in her life that we have been trying to get rid of for quite some time was with her at her death and that was Brian Hickerson,” Vogel told NBC News following her daughter’s death.
Hickerson’s lawyer has stressed the importance of letting investigators complete their inquiries before leaping to any conclusions. He’s been charged with no crimes in connection to Panettiere’s death.
TMZ said Panettiere died without a will.