Hayden Panettiere’s mother, Lesley Vogel, shared that she is happy that her daughter’s estate will likely go to Kaya, the actress’s 11-year-old daughter.
Speaking with The Daily Mail in an interview published Saturday, Aug. 22, Vogel explained that she doesn’t know exactly what will happen to Panettiere’s estate because it appears she did not have a will, but under California law, it would go entirely to Kaya.
Vogel said Kaya is an “exceptional” girl, adding that she’s an “amazing human being.”
Kaya lives in Ukraine with her father, former Wladimir Klitschko, and Vogel said that the two have people around the 11-year-old who are “very positive and supportive.”
Panettiere was found dead at a residence in Greenville, South Carolina, on Sunday, Aug. 16, after first responders received a call reporting an “unresponsive female.” An autopsy was completed, with the Greenville County Coroner’s Office announcing that “no signs of trauma were discovered that would have contributed to the death.
Lesley Vogel Says She Asked Cops To Investigate Hayden Panettiere’s Passing
In the same interview, Vogel also said that she is the one who pushed authorities to investigate Panettiere’s death. She says she spoke with an officer at the scene, specifically asking if there would be a further investigation.
With that, she has also raised questions about the potential involvement of Panettiere’s on-again, off-again boyfriend, Brian Hickerson. She has spoken out, voicing this in two seperate statements following her daughter’s passing.
“I don’t know how you can take a nap near someone who’s dying and not realize something’s wrong. How do you do that?,” she told The Daily Mail. “When the EMTs came it was for a cardiac arrest. People in cardiac arrest aren’t just lying still. They make noise. I think Brian called his brother. My opinion. I think he knew she was deceased. Called his brother, and tried and built this story.”
Lesley Vogel Has Received Backlash For Her Comments
Following Panettiere’s tragic death, Vogel released a statement and received a lot of backlash.
“This person in her life that we have been trying to get rid of for quite some time was with her at her death,” Vogel told NBC News on Aug. 18. “And that was Brian Hickerson.”
That prompted her to release another statement, speaking with Entertainment Tonight on Thursday, Aug. 20. She specifically touched on the duo’s estrangement.
“Although my daughter and I were estranged, it was not for lack of care or love,” Vogel told the outlet. “It was due to the involvement of a toxic individual who I believe led to her death.”
She added that she wants her daughters legacy to be more than just what happened to her.
“Hayden was a beautiful and talented young woman who unfortunately became involved with the wrong person, and although her family tried to extricate him from her life, we were unable to be successful,” she said.
“I hope all remember Hayden for the beautiful human being inside her and her gift to the world from her time on this earth,” she said. “My heart is with you, Hayden. Mama.”
