Daisy Coleman — the star of Netflix documentary Audrey & Daisy — shot herself dead hours after police carried out a wellness check at her concerned mother’s request, Your Content can tragically report.
Coleman, 23, who opened up about her rape ordeal in the Netflix documentary Audrie & Daisy, took her own life Tuesday night in Lakewood, Colorado after the wellness check.
The local police department responded to a call from Melinda at around 4 p.m. on Tuesday about a ‘possibly suicidal party’, and sent paramedics and agents trained in crisis intervention, according to TMZ.
Daisy then reportedly spoke to the officers for over an hour, but did not say or give any indication to them that she wanted to harm herself.
Because of this, she was medically cleared, and there was no legal reason to hold her on the grounds of mental health reasons.
But at around 8.30 p.m., police received another phone call from a female friend of Daisy’s saying that she had shot herself inside her apartment, with police later confirming this.
Coleman spoke in the 2016 film about how she was plied with alcohol in 2012 and raped in a Missouri house at the age of 14, but no one was ever convicted.
Just 10 days after being raped by the boys, Audrie Pott took her own life.
“She was my best friend and amazing daughter. I think she had to make it seem like I could live without her. I can’t. I wish I could have taken the pain from her!”
Coleman’s SafeBAE organization shared the news on Instagram Wednesday and said she had ‘struggled with healing for years.’
After the Netflix documentary aired she said she found it hard to listen to then Nodaway County Sheriff Darren White’s clear belief that Daisy and her friend Paige – who was raped on the same night – were somehow as culpable as the boys. He also slipped a note to the camera that ‘teenage girls lie.’
Coleman had tried to kill herself at least four times in the past.
She suffered victim blaming from the community. T-shirts worn by people in her dance class read: ‘ ‘Matt 1: Daisy 0.’
Social media exploded with hateful hashtags, branding Daisy a ‘skank’ a ‘whore’ and a ‘liar.’
Coleman ended up self-harming and carved the name of the alleged rapist into her skin.
In 2013 their house was burned down in a fire that her mother Melinda believes was deliberate.
“We are devastated to share with all of our inspiring supporters that we have suffered an irreplaceable loss. Our co-founder, sister, Daisy Coleman ended her life by suicide today,” the SafeBAE organization said in a statement.
“As many of you know she’s struggled with healing for years and had been making incredible progress, but healing is never a straight path and can often have setbacks.
“But she would want you all to know how much she loves this work and all of you who have joined us in it.”
SafeBAE works to help prevent sexual assault of high school-age people. It also helps young survivors. Coleman started it with three other women from PAVE (Promoting Awareness Victim Empowerment).
“Nothing inspired her more than knowing she could help survivors and work to prevent sexual violence. We want you all to know that our entire team is here to help and support you, as we all grieve this loss,” the organization continued in a statement.
“We want to remember Daisy for the incredible person she was and the legacy she has given us with SafeBAE. We will continue to do the work she was so proud of and dedicated to building.”
Tragedy struck the family last year when Coleman’s younger brother died in a car accident.
She was raped a few years after her father Dr Michael Coleman was killed in a car crash.
Coleman, then 14, and her best friend Paige Parkhurst, 13, were raped in the basement of one of the high school’s most popular footballers, the scion of a well connected political family.
Much of what happened on the night of September 3, 2012 is undisputed.
At around 1 a.m. Daisy and Paige were having a sleepover at Daisy’s house when they decided to sneak out – at the invitation of Matthew Barnett, now 22. His friends Jordan Zech, 24, Nick Groumoutis, 23 and Cole Forney, 22, were also present.
Daisy’s brother, Charlie, 23, regarded Groumoutis as his best friend but was wary of Barnett. He told her not to text him but she ignored him.
Almost immediately the girls were separated. Barnett admitted having sex with Daisy — 14 is the age of consent in the state of Missouri — but said it was consensual and that Daisy did not drink heavily until afterwards.
Daisy recalled being offered a drink from what the boys called the ‘bitch cup’ — a tall shot glass — then being offered a second and not remembering anything after that.
He used Nick Groumoutis’s cell phone to record but claimed he thought they were just ‘dry humping.’ The video was deleted — after reportedly being passed around the school — but never retrieved by law enforcement.
Paige’s rapist confessed and was convicted in juvenile court, but it was only after a second investigation that Daisy’s alleged rapist was convicted in adult court on the lesser charge of child endangerment.
For confidential support call the National Suicide Prevention Line on 1-800-273-8255.
