Darrell Sheets, ‘Storage Wars' star who died by suicide, left note about cyberbully
Darrell Sheets, a star of the long-running reality series “Storage Wars” who died by suicide, left a note at the scene of his death referencing his cyberbully, according to an incident report released this week by the Lake Havasu City Police Department.
Sheets, 67, was found dead at his Arizona home on April 22. In May, the police department said in a release that it had gotten confirmation from the Mohave County Medical Examiner’s Office that Sheets had died by suicide.
Police also said at the time that they were looking into “allegations of cyberbullying” in relation to Sheets’ case.
According to the incident report provided to NBC News on Thursday, police found a note hidden in a bathroom closet next to the room where Sheets was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
It was written in what appeared to be shaky handwriting and said “I could not take anymore the Facebook bulling.”
Police also interviewed the alleged bully, according to the incident report.
Officials said he was not cooperative and denied having anything to do with Sheets’ death. He said he was “nowhere near” Arizona when Sheets died.
He then told police he had been receiving death threats and refused to answer more questions, according to the report.
Police also spoke to Sheets’ girlfriend, who told officials that she interacted with him shortly before his death.
That night, after dinner, she said he was sitting in the garage and was texting his daughter-in-law, who told him that his girlfriend was “suspicious and that she was stealing money from” him.
His girlfriend told police he “was sad and upset” about the messages.
She told police she then left to pick up Sheets’ granddaughter from work at around 8 p.m. When she returned, she said, Sheets was in bed.
Later that night, she said, he got out of bed, waking his girlfriend. She went to look for him and found him in his office with what she believed to be a gun held to his head. She said he was crying and that he yelled at her to go back to bed.
She told police that she immediately thought “he was going to shoot himself.”
She said she tried to plead with him while backing away. She then said she heard one gunshot and called 911.
In a later interview with police, she said Sheets had been having trouble sleeping and that he was stressed out because he was “dealing with some issues with a male slandering his name.”
She also said Sheets and his son had “verbally fought over ‘family drama’” during a recent visit, which left Sheets “devastated.”
Sheets, originally from California, made a name for himself on the hit reality series “Storage Wars” as a regular cast member since its 2010 debut. On the show, he was known as “the gambler” for his ventures into risky auction bids.
The show is still on the air and follows teams of bidders who are on the hunt for abandoned and repurposed storage units that might hold items of value.
Some of Sheets’ former “Storage Wars” co-stars shared messages on Instagram shortly after his death.
Brandi Passante said she was “so very sorry, to hear the circumstances of his passing.”
“I unfortunately lost a parent and a brother to similar situations,” she said in a post. “I would like to say to everyone, if you are struggling, if you feel hopeless or like no one cares. I assure you they do!! You are not alone.”
Rene Nezhoda called him a “very hard worker” who “cared more than anyone I’ve ever met about his family.”
“He had a guy really, really tormenting him lately with cyberbullying,” Nezhoda said in a video. “You shouldn’t cyberbully at all. … Because you never know what demons somebody faces and what they go through and what you might push them through.”
Nezhoda in the video also encouraged law enforcement to look into the alleged cyberbully.
Passante and Nezhoda did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Thursday.
According to Sheets’ bio on A&E — the network that airs the show — he was once known for pursuing the “big hit,” accumulating four Picasso pieces over the years at storage auctions. But he eventually moved away from collecting, the bio said, finding greater pride in the adventure itself.
Cristian Santana contributed.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or chat live at 988lifeline.org. You can also visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional support.
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