Photo:Richard Heathcote/Getty
Richard Heathcote/Getty
Tori Bowiehad been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, an autopsy has shown, and her coach says the late runner’s mental health struggles were not taken “seriously enough” before her death.
The three-time Olympic medalist, whodied from childbirth complicationsin May, had the mental health condition listed under her medical history in her autopsy and it may have played a role in her death, according to a new report from theAssociated Press.
Officials from the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee and USA Track and Field told the outlet that Bowie had not sought treatment even though she had access to mental health services. They also noted that she had not had much assistance from friends, family or medical professionals throughout her difficult pregnancy.
Her former coach, Al Joyner, 63, told AP that “it’s not that she slipped through the cracks,” but that he thinks “people didn’t take it seriously enough.”
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There were also several calls submitted to police and the U.S. Olympic committee from people concerned about her health in the months leading up to her death.
AP obtained records of a 911 call from a family acquaintance asking police to check up on Bowie at her house after they noted that no one had heard from her in days.
The acquaintance told police in the call, “Last time I spoke to this girl, it was over three weeks ago. I saw her here at her home and she was living without power.” They added that they “reported to her family” that they were “concerned” about Bowie’s “mental health.”
Per the records, another acquaintance of Bowie’s also called police telling them that she didn’t feel safe entering Bowie’s house because of the smell coming from it. This call as well as several others prompted police to go to Bowie’s house on May 2, a day before news of her death broke.
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Her neighbors also told AP that they saw Bowie sleeping on a park bench with groceries at her feet at a park near her house and on the floor of a local recreation center. One concerned neighbor alerted the U.S. Olympic committee who then notified USA Track and Field, which put in a call to Bowie’s agent Kimberly Holland.
However, Holland reportedly told them that Bowie did not need help, and further told AP that she “didn’t have any red flags,” about the former track athlete.
A lawsuit filed seeking foreclosure on Bowie’s home in Winter Garden, Florida also brought to light that Bowie had not kept up with payments on the home since Oct. 1, 2022.
News of Bowie’s death first broke after her management company shared asocial media statementon May 3, saying, “we’re devastated to share the very sad news that Tori Bowie has passed away.”
The Orange County Sheriff’s Department later confirmed to PEOPLE that Bowie was found dead in her home after they were asked to “conduct a well-being check of a woman in her 30s whohad not been seen or heard from in several days.”
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The Florida’s Orange County Medical Examiner’s Office released her autopsy a month later which said the 32-year-old had a “well-developed fetus” and was undergoing labor at the time of her death. The report added that there were “possible complications” contributing to Bowie’s death, which included “respiratory distress and eclampsia.”
She went on to win gold in the 100-meter race at the IAAF World Championships the next year, while also helping the U.S. retain gold in the 100-meter relay.
source: people.com
