The grief-stricken mother of Netflix documentary star Daisy Coleman has killed herself just four months after her daughter took her own life while on Facetime to her boyfriend.
Melina Coleman died on Sunday evening, following the death of her 23-year-old daughter Daisy who spoke candidly about her traumatic sexual assault at the age of 14, in the 2016 Netflix documentary ‘Audrie & Daisy.’
SafeBae, a youth-led sexual assault prevention group created by Daisy, made the announcement of Melinda’s death on their Instagram page, where condolences quickly began to appear.
The tragedies surrounding the Coleman family began years earlier when Daisy’s father died in a car accident – a few years before Daisy’s assault.
In a series of upsetting events, their home burned down in a fire in 2013 and five years later in 2018, Melinda’s son, Tristan Ash Coleman, died in a car accident at age 19 while he was helping his sister move to Colorado Springs.
It was revealed on Sunday evening that the mother of Daisy Coleman (left), Melinda Coleman (right), had died by suicide
Pictured: Tristan Ash Coleman, Melinda Coleman and Daisy Coleman at the grave of Michael Coleman in March 2018. Tristan died in a car crash later that year, Daisy committed suicide in August and Melinda killed herself on Sunday. Father Michael also died in a car accident when Daisy was a young girl
Melinda’s death comes just four months after her daughter, Daisy, committed suicide in August. Pictured (left to right): Melinda and Daisy Coleman
Announcing the mother’s death, SafeBae posted: ‘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.
SafeBae, a sexual assault prevention group, announced the death of Melinda Coleman on Sunday evening
‘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 5, 23-year-old Daisy after being plagued with mental health issues and having already made several attempts to take her own life.
Daisy’s body was discovered by authorities after her mother, Melinda, asked them to perform a welfare check.
Daisy died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound while talking to her boyfriend on FaceTime. Melinda later confirmed her daughter’s death on social media.
Just hours before her death, Melinda posted a series of posts and pictures of Daisy to her Facebook page.
SafeBae: ‘The bottomless grief of losing her husband, Tristan and Daisy was more than she could face most days’
On the day she died, Melinda Coleman shared a series of posts about Daisy and shared heartbreaking messages
One Facebook post from Melinda Coleman appeared to be a ‘time capsule’ message from Daisy’s father to the daughter
Michael Coleman (center) died in a car accident when Daisy and her siblings were young. Pictured: Michael Coleman (center) and Daisy Coleman (right)
‘There aren’t enough I love yous I could have said when I was holding your cold, broken , dead body,’ wrote Melinda.
‘I held you like a baby anyway, my baby. The baby I held when you first came into this world. It has always been my greatest honor and joy to be your mother and best friend. Mama bear!’
One post appeared to be a ‘time capsule’ message from Daisy’s father to her. The letter described the joy Melinda and Michael Coleman experienced when Daisy was born.
‘We went to the hospital and found our Daisy,’ the heart-breaking note read. ‘When the doctor held you in the air, we were very proud parents. I was privileged to rock you to sleep every night for the first year of your life.’
Melinda is survived by her two sons, Logan and Charlie.
‘She was my best friend,’ mom Melinda said of Daisy, pictured together above
The tragedies surrounding the Coleman family began years ago when Daisy’s father died in a car accident.
A few years later, Daisy was raped at 14 years old.
Coleman spoke in the Netflix film about how she was plied with alcohol in 2012 and raped in a Missouri house but no one was ever convicted of the assault.
Coleman 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 January 8, 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.
Picture shows Daisy Coleman, left, age 14, and Paige, right, age 13 shortly before they were both raped in the early hours of January 9, 2012. Daisy’s rapist was not convicted
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 (pictured)
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.
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.’
Daisy had been a vocal advocate for rape survivors and continued to campaign for them
She is said to have asked her family to continue her work for victims of rape
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.
Pictured: Daisy Coleman and her brother, Tristan Ash Coleman
Daisy Coleman posted a photo of herself and brother Tristan on Instagram following his death in a car accident in June 2018
In 2013 their house was burned down in a fire that her mother Melinda believes was deliberate.
Five years later, Melinda’s son, Tristan Ash Coleman, died in a car accident in 2018 at age 19. He was helping his sister move to Colorado Springs when the incident happened in Oakley, Kansas.
In her tribute following Daisy’s death, Melinda wrote: ‘I know you only stayed here for me after Tristan died. I know your soul weep to leave. I begged you to stay with me. I understand that you stayed as long as you could.’
Daisy, pictured, had also been struggling to cope with the deaths of her dad and brother, her mother revealed. Her younger brother died in a car accident in 2018
Melinda, who called Daisy her ‘best friend,’ revealed that her daughter’s death came after she discovered she would never be able to conceive.
Melinda told The Sun her daughter had been told by doctors weeks before her death.
She also claims her daughter had a stalker who had been harassing her by text since December and who Daisy had filed a police report about just hours before she died.
‘It was two weeks ago, it feels like it’s been a really long time, and like it’s been no time at all, if that makes sense,’ Melinda told The Sun.
‘She was my best friend, and she would say the same, we talked every day. We were really close.
‘I really thought we were past this [her feeling suicidal], in my heart, but then she got hit with a lot of stuff recently.
‘She just found out weeks before that she couldn’t have children. She was very upset about that.’
She said doctors placed the blame on her ‘brutal’ rape when she was a 14-year-old.
‘That just shows how brutal it was, and they were trying to say it was consensual, that’s what really gets me.’
For confidential support call the National Suicide Prevention Line on 1-800-273-8255.
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