Former Playboy playmate Ashley Mattingly committed suicide with a self-inflicted gunshot to her head, according to an autopsy report.
The model, who was found dead on April 15 at age 33, put a handgun to her mouth and pulled the trigger, the Travis County Medical Examiner's Office concluded in the document obtained by TMZ. Toxicology results show Mattingly had opiates and benzodiazepines in her system at the time of her death.
Mattingly's sister, Christy Deweese, previously told Fox News that the late model had struggled with addiction for several years and had been in and out of rehab. Shortly before her death, she shared an unsettling video to Instagram of herself in a hospital bed, admitting she was there because she "drank too much."
Two days later, she was found unresponsive in her home in Austin, Texas, after a friend contacted police with concerns about her well-being after not hearing from Mattingly for an extended period of time. She had left a suicide note, however, its contents were not disclosed, according to People.
Deweese recalled to Fox News how her sister had attempted to get her life "back in order" but addiction was the "one thing she couldn't overcome."
"[Addiction] can happen to anyone and it takes a really strong person to overcome it. She was obviously a very strong person and it still got the best of her," she said.
"It's hard because this isn't something we planned for," Deweese added. "She was a good person and addiction can take down anything, so I ask for people to just be mindful."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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