Cheslie Kryst, Former Miss USA kills herself

 Photo by Reza Hasannia on Unsplash

Cheslie Kryst, Former Miss USA kills herself

  

Look at that beautiful smile 😊, now that woman was lovely. It was a real tragedy that she allowed this to happen to her.

Chelsie Kryst was born on April 28, 1991, in Jackson, Michigan, to a Polish-American father and an African-American mother but grew up in York County in South Carolina. She graduated from Fort Mill High School in 2009, and enrolled in the Honors College at the University of South Carolina.

The 30 year old lawyer and former Miss USA, died January 31 2022 after apparently jumping from a skyscraper in Manhattan.

On Sunday morning at about 7am she was found dead, leaving behind a note saying she whished to leave everything of hers to her mother the New York Post reported, citing police sources.

Following her death Sunday, the Extra correspondent's family remembered her for inspiring others "around the world with her beauty and strength," they wrote in a statement. 

"Cheslie embodied love and served others, whether through her work as an attorney fighting for social justice, as Miss USA and as a host on Extra. But most importantly, as a daughter, sister, friend, mentor and colleague – we know her impact will live on," they added.

Ms. Kryst, who was the 2019 Miss USA, died after falling from a New York City high-rise on Sunday. The New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner said Thursday that Ms. Kryst died from multiple blunt impact injuries.

Ms. Kryst’s mother, April Simpkins, said in a statement that she has “never known a pain as deep as this.”

Kryst lived in the 60-story Orion building, which is a few blocks from Times Square on West 42nd Street.

Dr. Doug Mennin, a professor of clinical psychology at Teachers College at Columbia University, said people tend to think of depression as being about negative emotions, but the condition often has to do with a lack of positive things.

Cheslie Kryst was privately suffering from “high-functioning depression” before her death on Sunday, according to her mother.  

One of depression’s biggest predictors is the sense that things won’t work out, he said. People who are depressed and who attempt suicide can often do so when they are recovering, he said.

When it comes to mourning, the internet presents a mixed blessing. It creates a space to grieve collectively where once there might not have been. While many of the people who have flocked to Kryst’s social media pages probably didn’t know her personally in life, it’s comforting and, frankly, very human to see people seeking out this digital space to be together. It’s especially so given what Kryst’s family has said about her struggle with depression. It seems not unlikely that a person with depression or even experiencing suicidal thoughts might also have sought out Kryst’s content. It’s nice to think that someone might find kind, supportive comments, gentle reminders that life is worth living.

Let us realize that we have more than we think, for depression is not going to be the end of us.