A Californian private investigator has claimed he was approached by the late Daniel Smith to keep tracks on Daniel’s mum Anna Nicole Smith.

Jack E Harding told the Globe that Daniel approached him in July last year because he was worried about Anna Nicole’s relationship with Howard K Stern, claiming she was being held “a virtual prisoner” at her home shared in Nassau. Daniel met with Harding to discuss his fears but didn’t finalise hiring the investigator.

Harding told the publication: “Daniel felt Stern was keeping her on mind-bending drugs even though she was pregnant [with baby Dannielynn]. He feared for his mother’s well-being… and he was angry at being pushed out of his mother’s life.”

After Daniel died as the result of a combination of drugs, Harding contacted the Bahamian detectives investigating his death: “I told them of our discussions and Daniel’s concerns. They seemed interested.”