Yesterday news broke that 23 year-old Daisy Coleman, one of the subjects of the Netflix documentary Audrie & Daisy, had died of an apparent suicide. Her mother Melinda Coleman had previously mentioned that she asked authorities in Lakewood, Colorado to do a wellness check on her daughter; and we now have further details on that visit.
According to a report by TMZ, Lakewood PD spokesman John Romero issued a statement that officers were indeed sent out on that wellness check, at about 4 PM that afternoon. The LPD proceeded to talk with Daisy Coleman for “over an hour,” with the final result being that Coleman was medically cleared, as there were no signs of suicidal ideation. And as the truth continues to unfold, countless eyes are following the tragic story.
This wellness check was prompted by Melinda Coleman, after her daughter had made some concerning social media posts. Unfortunately, it was only four and a half hours later, at 8:30 PM, that Lakewood PD would receive another call; the one that reported Daisy as having committed suicide. The cause of death, according to those same reports, was a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The Coleman family were part of the focus of directors Bonni Cohen & John Schenk’s film Audrie & Daisy, which detailed the alleged sexual assault cases of Daisy Coleman, Audrie Pott, and Delaney Henderson. In the aftermath of her experiences, Coleman not only shared a first person account of the event in question, but also started a non-profit organization named SafeBAE, to combat school-based sexual assaults.
Daisy Coleman was even working on a follow-up film to Audrie & Daisy, entitled Saving Daisy. Chronicling her life and recovery after the 2016 documentary, per the official website for the project, that movie was still in production. As of this moment, there’s no word how or if it will be completed in light of Ms. Coleman’s untimely passing. Daisy Coleman’s suicide is an unfortunate event, which has taken a young woman from the world before her time. But the legacy she leaves behind, as a survivor and an advocate, is so powerful that it will survive to aid those who have suffered similar abuse. As incidents such as this and other alleged cases continue to come to light, anyone who has a story to tell should continue to be encouraged to do so.
If you or someone you know is struggling with the effects of sexual assault and/or rape, reach out to the National Sexual Assault Hotline as a resource. Also, if you’d like to learn more about SafeBAE, you can check out their official website for more details on their operations. Our heartfelt condolences go out to the family and friends of Daisy Coleman in this time of need.
