In 2016, you may have learned Daisy Coleman‘s name when a documentary on Netflix walked the world through her sexual assault case. As the documentary revealed, Coleman was 14 when she was allegedly sexually assaulted by a teenager in her small Missouri hometown.
She had gone over to the boy’s house where she was drinking with him, her best friend, and a couple of his friends. When her case was brought to hurt, the teen was initially looking at a felony sexual assault charge but would later plead guilty to a lesser charge of endangering the welfare of a child.
Netflix’s Audrie & Daisy’s Daisy Coleman Dead By Suicide at 23
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The documentary then walked viewers through her recovery and how Coleman dealt with the pain, the criticism, and more that comes with being a survivor. And while Coleman had her ups and downs, she made the most of a bad situation by teaming up with one of her older brothers to work on a national campaign called SafeBAE—Safe Before Anyone Else—to help prevent others from enduring sexual violence.
Sadly, nearly 10 years after enduring the worst moment of her life, Coleman’s mom revealed that the 23-year-old had died by suicide on August 4. In an emotional Facebook post, Melinda Coleman wrote, “My daughter Catherine Daisy Coleman committed suicide tonight.”
The mom continued by revealing she had also called the police to check on her before learning about her death. “She was my best friend and [an] 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! She never recovered from what those boys did to her and it’s just not fair. My baby girl is gone.”
In her last Facebook post, which was shared on August 3, Coleman revealed she was looking for someone to sublease her apartment for a month or two because “a lot of bad things are happening in my life right now and I feel like being away from it all is going to help me make a game plan so I can be out here and be safe.”
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Coleman is survived by her mom and two brothers. She was preceded in death by her father and one of her brothers. Our thoughts and prayers are with her loved ones during this difficult time.