Hayden Panettiere kept the engagement ring Wladimir Klitschko gave her after their relationship ended. Now her loved ones reportedly cannot find it, according to an Oct. 2 report from Us Weekly.
An unnamed source told the publication that friends and family suspect someone who spent time with Panettiere in her final days may have taken the ring while pawning her possessions.
The Heroes and Nashville actress died Aug. 16 at 36 in Greenville, South Carolina. The county coroner later ruled her death accidental, caused by the combined toxic effects of several drugs, Fox Carolina reported.
Panettiere and Klitschko’s daughter, Kaya, 11, is her mother’s sole heir, according to the Associated Press. Her parents never married and ended their relationship in 2018.
The $500,000 Figure Came From a 2013 Jewelry Estimate
Panettiere confirmed the engagement during an Oct. 9, 2013, appearance on Live With Kelly and Michael, after Kelly Ripa asked about the diamond on her hand. She said their schedules had prevented them from setting a wedding date, ABC News reported. Later that month, she told E! News she collaborated with Montblanc, refining ideas from a book of sketches.
Jeweler Chris Capri of Capri Jewelry Inc. estimated the diamond at roughly 6 carats and the ring at $500,000, UPI reported in October 2013. Capri described an emerald-cut diamond in what appeared to be a rose-gold, split-shank setting. His estimate was based on the ring’s appearance, not a disclosed purchase price or a current appraisal.
Klitschko Asked a Court to Protect Kaya’s Inheritance
On Sept. 24, Klitschko petitioned a Los Angeles County court to become temporary guardian of Kaya’s estate. His lawyers warned that her mother’s property could be lost or dissipated before a permanent estate administrator was appointed. The AP reported that some possessions were being held by investigators, with no authorized representative to coordinate their return.
Klitschko said he had been told that jewelry and other belongings had disappeared or remained unaccounted for, PEOPLE reported. He also alleged that non-family members previously connected to Panettiere had accessed and destroyed her emails. The passage PEOPLE quoted refers to jewelry generally, without naming the engagement ring.
Before her death, Panettiere and Klitschko hired security following concerns that someone had gained unauthorized access to her home, according to court passages reproduced by Extra. Security personnel changed the locks afterward, and storage containing designer clothing and accessories was relocated as a precaution. The filing warned of further attempts to take property and sought protection for the home and its contents.
Klitschko already has full custody of Kaya. A guardianship of the estate concerns a child’s finances, including inherited money and property, as the California Courts explain. Guardians must manage those assets for the child’s benefit under strict financial rules. His petition seeks authority to initiate probate proceedings and nominate an administrator for Panettiere’s estate, according to PEOPLE.
Her Mother Previously Alleged Other Belongings Were Pawned
In August, Panettiere’s mother, Lesley Vogel, alleged that Brian Hickerson had pawned some of her daughter’s belongings, including a vintage guitar. She also said Panettiere discovered other possessions in his storage unit. Vogel made the claims to The New York Times in an interview covered by Us Weekly.
Us said another person, speaking anonymously to the Times, corroborated the pawning account. It reported that Hickerson had not publicly addressed those allegations at the time. Those claims concerned other belongings; neither that account nor the new ring report identifies him as responsible for the ring’s disappearance.
Klitschko Promised to Preserve Kaya’s Memories of Her Mother
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In an Aug. 18 Instagram tribute, Klitschko said Panettiere remained an important person in his life after their separation, as KTLA reported. “To our daughter Kaya, I will always speak of her mother with respect and make sure she remembers the person she was,” he wrote.
Panettiere had discussed the difficulty of parenting from a distance in her 2026 memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning. During a conversation with Jay Shetty on On Purpose, she described visiting Kaya and staying connected through FaceTime. She said that by the time her own health improved, her daughter had built a stable life with friends and family in Europe, and she felt it would be unfair to uproot her.
Sources connected to Panettiere’s family told TMZ they supported Klitschko’s efforts to protect Kaya’s interests. A hearing on his petition is scheduled for Oct. 8, according to the AP.