A police investigation into the death of Miss Alabama 2021, Zoe Sozo Bethel, revealed that the beauty queen reportedly “fell out of a third-floor window” in Miami.
The Miami Police Department responded to a “possible suicide attempt” around midnight Feb. 11, and later confirmed that the 27-year-old model was rushed to the hospital in critical condition by Miami Fire Rescue. She was in a coma for over a week before she succumbed to traumatic brain injuries, according to the Miami Herald.
While she was in the coma, family members reported that Bethel had been involved in an unspecified “accident.” Later, police told People that the Miami-Dade Medical Examiner ruled her cause of death as blunt force trauma in a “tragic accident.”
In a statement to The Post, Bethel’s family wrote that “if she had a choice, she would still be here with us today.”
“The initial police report is simply preliminary and is not conclusive, and is further absent specific facts from eyewitness testimony that would alter the ‘incident type’ status listed on the preliminary police report.”
The Miami Police Department has not responded to The Post’s request for comment.
They added that from an early age, Bethel “was taught to stand up for the truth and to never be apologetic. She was a devout believer in Jesus Christ and was a strong conservative who was very patriotic. She loved God and valued her life as well as the lives of those around her. She was growing and becoming more successful each year of her life, and she was only just beginning.”
The Alabama native’s death was revealed via a statement her family posted to the pageant star’s Instagram page Sunday.
“On Friday, February 18, 2022, at approximately 5:30AM Eastern time in Miami, Florida, our beloved Zoe Sozo Bethel passed from this life into the next as a result of succumbing to her injuries,” the statement reads.
That followed a Feb. 16 statement, also on Instagram, in which the family reports that she’d been in an “accident”: “Zoe had an accident Thursday night, February 10th, & sustained severe damage to her brain/brainstem & is in a coma.”
“Unfortunately the doctors are saying the damage cannot be repaired & that she may not have much time left,” the post continues. To cover Bethel’s medical and other expenses, the family created a GoFundMe page, which has raised over $45,000 at the time of writing.
After her death, her family wrote that they did everything they could to save her. They also revealed that Bethel did not have health insurance.
Along with being named Miss Alabama 2021, the mother of one was a conservative commentator who was involved with organizations such as Project Veritas, Liberty University and Turning Point USA, her family said.
Bethel was also a reporter for Right Side Broadcasting Network and a brand ambassador and executive producer of Miss Liberty America.
Bethel’s former colleagues and admirers have flocked to social media to mourn the model’s passing.
“I’m shocked and saddened by the death of such a wonderful young lady,” wrote right-wing speaker Brandon Tatum on Instagram. “@zosobe was such a bright spot in every room she entered. She was beautiful inside and out.”
The Truth Gazette offered its condolences on Twitter, writing: “If you were lucky enough to know her, you loved her. Even if you never met her but got the chance to follow her work over the years, you felt like you knew her.
“She just had that big of a personality,” Brilyn Hollyhand, the founder of the news service, added. “She was so incredibly bold in her beliefs and values.”
Turning Point USA shared a video tribute on YouTube, which featured a montage of photos of Bethel.
“We are so honored to have known Zoe Sozo Bethel,” the group wrote in the caption. “She has been a pillar in the Conservative movement, always moving with grace, elegance and wisdom.
“She has inspired many, and her legacy will continue to touch the hearts and minds of people everywhere.”
In another beauty pageant tragedy last month, Miss USA 2019 Cheslie Kryst committed suicide by leaping to her death from a Manhattan building
