The late Hayden Panettiere’s engagement ring from her ex-fiancé Wladimir Klitschko went missing in the final days of her life, Us has exclusively learned.
A source tells Us that the sentimental piece of jewelry is nowhere to be found. (Panettiere and Klitschko were together on and off from 2009 to 2018 and got engaged in 2013. They shared 11-year-old daughter Kaya.)
“Hayden’s engagement ring from Wlad that she’s held onto for all this time is missing,” the source revealed to Us.
Those closest to the Heroes actress suspect the ring was taken from her.
“Friends and family think that someone who was with her in her final days took it when they were pawning her things,” the insider added.
Us has reached out to Panettiere’s representatives for comment.
The ring featured an emerald-cut center diamond with a split-shank setting and was estimated to be worth as much as $500,000, per contemporary reports. At the time of her engagement, Panettiere revealed to E! News that she personally worked with Montblanc to design the engagement ring of her dreams.
“They made me this amazing book where they did a bunch of sketches,” Panettiere told the outlet in 2013. “I told them my idea over time and tweaking things here and there, it came to fruition.”
Us previously obtained a detailed report from the Greenville County Coroner’s Office in South Carolina, which noted that Panettiere’s on-again, off-again boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, or his brother Zach Hickerson had told authorities the star “was in a drug rehab facility” in Malibu “up until a few weeks” before her death on August 16. (The coroner determined that Panettiere’s death was accidental, caused by the “toxic effects of fentanyl, 4-ANPP, alprazolam, methocarbamol and quetiapine.”)
Hayden’s father, Skip Panettiere, confirmed to police that she “had recently been released [from] rehab” after spending “two or three weeks” in treatment. Skip, 67, noted that Hayden “struggled with addiction since her early 20s” and had been “in multiple rehab facilities since that time.”
Authorities reported that Skip described Hayden’s relationship with ex Brian, 37, as “nothing but troubled.”
A 2020 domestic violence altercation between Brian and Hayden in Wyoming resulted in the couple breaking off their relationship after dating for two years, though he continued to spend time with the Nashville star on and off until her death. (Brian was sentenced to 45 days in county jail in 2021 after pleading no contest to two felony counts of injuring a partner. He was ordered to complete four years of formal probation and 52 domestic violence classes, pay $500 in restitution and obey a five-year protective order as part of his plea.)
Hayden wrote about the volatile nature of her relationship with Brian in her 2026 memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, including recalling the first time he allegedly hit her. She remembered Brian screaming before striking her, displaying rage “like I’ve never seen before.”
“I hear it before I feel it, the unmistakable sound of an open-hand slap,” Hayden wrote. “There’s the burning on my cheek, like I’m on fire. There’s ringing in my head.”
She continued, “None of it happened, at least for me. If I think about it, it’s real. But it wasn’t real, I can play tough and will it away and it’s gone. Buck it up, then wipe it off the whiteboard and delete it from the tapes. I love this man and this wasn’t him. It couldn’t have been him, not in a million years.”
Brian responded to allegations in Hayden’s memoir by saying he was in Alcoholics Anonymous after being in “such a dark place” during his relationship with the actress. He told TMZ in May that “everyone should read” the book, adding that he “did it” in relation to her domestic violence accusation.
Police reported that Brian and his brother Zach were at the scene when Hayden was pronounced dead in a Greenville, South Carolina, apartment in August. A coroner’s report determined that there were “no signs of trauma” discovered by investigators.
Brian’s attorney Sloan Ellis released a statement on his behalf four days after the actress’s death, noting that the case “remains under investigation and it is important to allow that investigation to proceed.”
“As has been publicly reported, police confirmed there were no signs of foul play,” Ellis told Us on August 20. “Out of respect for Hayden’s loved ones and the ongoing investigation, there will be no further comment at this time.”
Last month, Hayden’s estranged mother, Lesley Vogel, alleged to The New York Times that Brian had once pawned “some of” her daughter’s belongings, including a vintage guitar. He did not publicly address the claim.
Us reported that a memorial service was held for Hayden in Malibu on September 19. Hayden’s Nashville costar Connie Britton, Evan Ross and Ruby Rose were among the mourners in attendance to pay tribute to her life and legacy. (Brian was not in attendance.)
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357). If you or someone you know are experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support.
