THE distraught mother of Daisy Coleman has taken her own life four months after her daughter died by suicide. Daisy, 23, who starred in the Netflix show Audrie & Daisy, died in August from a self-inflicted gun shot wound while on a FaceTime call to her boyfriend. Now tragically, her mother Melinda, 58, was found […]
THE distraught mother of Daisy Coleman has taken her own life four months after her daughter died by suicide.
Daisy, 23, who starred in the Netflix show Audrie & Daisy, died in August from a self-inflicted gun shot wound while on a FaceTime call to her boyfriend.
Now tragically, her mother Melinda, 58, was found dead yesterday evening, SafeBae – a sex assault prevention group started by Daisy – announced on Instagram.
The post read: “We are in shock and disbelief to share with our SafeBae family, that we lost Melinda Coleman to suicide this evening.
“The bottomless grief of losing her husband, Tristan and Daisy was more than she could face most days.
“Melinda was a gifted veterinarian, devoted mother and wife, and talented body builder.
“More than anything, she loved and believed in her children.
“It is no accident that she created some of the most gifted, passionate, and resilient children.”
The statement also mentioned Melinda’s two surviving sons Logan and Charlie.
It added: “Our hearts are with Logan and Charlie. There are no words for our sadness, only that if you are struggling with trauma or depression, you are not alone.
On August 4, Daisy’s body was discovered at an apartment in Lakewood, Colorado, after her mother requested police do a welfare check.
Cops were called to do a check on a “possible suicidal party,” Police Department spokesperson John Romero told TMZ.
Yet, Daisy spoke with officers and crisis prevention paramedics for more than an hour – but never said or did anything indicating she wanted to harm herself, police said.
Because of this, Daisy could not be legally held for mental health problems and she was cleared by medics, according to TMZ.
However, hours later at 8.30pm, cops reportedly got a call from a female friend in the same apartment building saying that Daisy had shot herself.
Melinda later publicly confirmed her death.
The 23-year-old was one of the girls featured on the 2016 Netflix doc Audrie & Daisy which detailed her and friend Paige’s alleged sexual assaults when they were 14 and 13, respectively.
Before her own death, Melinda told The Sun the family worked “so hard” to keep the Daisy alive.
Asked what is getting her through each day, Melinda said: “Each other. We worked so hard, so many years of counselling, we did everything we could to keep her alive.
“Looking back on it now, it is pretty overwhelming. If there is never going to be justice for young people like Daisy, this will always be the outcome.
“I just think even in death she’s making her mark, things need to change or this will continue to be the trend.”
Melinda said she felt her daughter’s suicide was a result of a “perfect storm” as she was dealing with a stalker and doctors had recently told her she couldn’t have children, likely a result of her sexual assault.
While no one was convicted in her case, Matthew Barnett pleaded guilty to endangering the welfare of a child after he supplied Daisy with booze and left her in “sub-freezing” temperatures outside her house.
An additional charge against another boy who allegedly filmed a sexual encounter between Daisy and Barnett was also later dropped.
Melinda said the tattoo parlor Daisy worked at in Denver, Colorado, was broken into just days after her death, with thieves making off with her sketchbook and tattoo machine.
“We are missing a lot of her sketches, a report was filed but we haven’t heard anything else yet,” she said.
Melinda, a veterinary nurse, had a handwritten note from her daughter, ‘Love, Daisy’, inked on her wrist using some of her ashes.
Daisy’s brother Logan also has a tattoo in her honor while some of her ashes were buried after her funeral.
Around 200 people gathered during a private service to say goodbye to Daisy in Albany, Missouri in August.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) or text Crisis Text Line at 741741.
