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Daisy Coleman, Subject Of Netflix's 'Audrie & Daisy,' Dies By Suicide At Age 23
The 2016 documentary on Netflix detailed Daisy Coleman and Audrie Pott’s traumatic experiences with sexual assault.
One of the subjects of a Netflix documentary that took a look at the impact and trauma of sexual assault has died by suicide at age 23.
Daisy Coleman, who was a main subject of the documentary "Audrie & Daisy," was found dead after police performed a welfare check at her home, Coleman's mother said on Facebook.
"She was my best friend and amazing daughter. I think she had to make make it seem like I could live without her. I can’t. I wish I could have taken the pain from her!" Melinda Coleman wrote.
Her mother alluded to Coleman's sexual assault in the post.
"She never recovered from what those boys did to her and it’s just not fair. My baby girl is gone," she added.
The other namesake for the documentary, Audrie Pott, died by suicide in 2012 after she was assaulted and her assailants spread rumors and half-naked photos of her around their school. Pott's assailants apologized in court as part of a wrongful death lawsuit in 2015 but were not identified, according to the Mercury News.
Coleman was raped at a party in Missouri in January 2012, when she was 14 years old. She named her assailant as Matthew Barnett and said she was left intoxicated and dressed only in a T-shirt outside her home in freezing temperatures following the assault.
Ultimately, no sexual assault charges were filed against Barnett and he pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of endangering the welfare of a child and received a suspended sentence, Time reported in 2014.
Coleman went on to help found SafeBAE, which seeks to end sexual assault and rape in middle schools and high schools across the country. The group said it was stunned by her death.
"We are shattered and shocked by her passing from suicide," the organization said in a Twitter thread. "She had many coping demons and had been facing and overcoming them all, but as many of you know, healing is not a straight path or any easy one. She fought longer and harder than we will ever know ... Coleman] would want young survivors to know they are heard, they matter, they are loved, and there are places for them to get the help they need. And she would want everyone else — peer allies, educators, parents, legislators, religious leaders — to come together to help stop sexual violence and help save teen lives."
