Kaya is the sole heir of the late actress’ entire estate

NEED TO KNOW

• Hayden Panettiere’s ex-fiancé, Wladimir Klitschko, filed a petition to serve as the temporary guardian of her estate on Sept. 24
• He filed the petition on behalf of their 11-year-old daughter, Kaya, who is the sole heir of the actress’ entire estate
• He cited concerns that estate property could be lost before an administrator is appointed amid the ongoing investigation into Panettiere’s death, according to court documents obtained by PEOPLE

Hayden Panettiere‘s ex-fiancé Wladimir Klitschko filed a petition to serve as the estate’s temporary guardian for their daughter, Kaya, on Sept. 24.

Klitschko and Panettiere met in 2008, and the two got engaged five years later. In 2014, they welcomed Kaya. When Panettiere and Klitschko split in 2018, Klitschko was granted full custody of their daughter.

Panettiere died suddenly on Aug. 16, at age 36. She was found unresponsive in a residence in Greenville, S.C., and was later pronounced dead at the scene. First responders administered “medical assistance” upon arrival. An investigation into her sudden death remains ongoing.

Amid the investigation, Klitschko, 50, filed a temporary guardianship request on behalf of Kaya, who is the sole beneficiary of Panettiere’s estate, according to court documents obtained by PEOPLE.

The Sept. 24 filing declares the decision should be made “immediately,” because it will permit Klitschko “the necessary standing to file Hayden’s Probate Petition and the power to nominate a proposed Administrator of Hayden’s Estate.”

He cites concerns that if this isn’t immediate, “there is a high probability that property belonging to Hayden’s Estate may be lost, damaged or dissipated before a duly appointed personal representative can be in place to protect it.”

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In August, the month Panettiere died, a source told PEOPLE that the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) was involved in the investigation. Nine days after her death, the DEA secured a warrant to search for evidence of illicit narcotics and conducted a search at Panettiere’s Los Angeles home, a source previously told PEOPLE.

Klitschko argues the urgency “directly and adversely affects” 11-year-old Kaya, because she is the sole heir of her mother’s entire estate. In the filing, he seeks to ensure that he can retain the Los Angeles property when the investigation is complete.

Klitschko alleges that before Panettiere’s death, she hired a security service to protect her home, “arising from a documented concern that an individual had gained unauthorized access to Hayden’s property.” He claims that the home’s locks were changed, and valuables, such as designer clothing, were relocated.

“Notwithstanding the foregoing, it is expected that the individual will continue to try and misappropriate property belonging to Hayden’s Estate,” he claims.

Klitschko also “believes that non-family members previously connected to Hayden have accessed and destroyed Hayden’s emails.”

Klitschko claims in the filing that he was “informed” that Panettiere’s personal property, including jewelry, has “disappeared or remains unaccounted for.”

He notes that the authorities have custody of some items for the investigation, but wants to ensure that the representative of her estate will “marshal the missing assets and interface with law enforcement.”

In the months before her death, Panettiere spoke openly about giving Klitschko full custody of Kaya in her May 2026 memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning.

In the book, she described the devastating decision as “the most gut-wrenching experience of my life,” along with reflecting on everything from her traumatic childbirth experience and postpartum depression to her struggles with addiction.

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