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‘Toddlers And Tiara’ Star Kailia Posey, 16, Died From Asphyxiation In Her Packed Car
She struggled with mental health.
Kailia Posey, the child TV star, allegedly died from asphyxia due to ligature strangulation in her car at Birch Bay State Park on May 2nd, just days after her 16th birthday and prom. An autopsy carried out by the Whatcom County Medical Examiner officially made the mentioned above deduction.
The Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office has insisted the toxicology reports won’t be disclosed to the public to save the victim’s privacy.
Posey had starred in Toddlers and Tiaras, a TLC series that spanned seven seasons from 2009 to 2013, following the families of children who competed in beauty pageants. She became popularly known after a video of her grinning ear to ear on the show went viral and became a popular meme.
On April 19th, she celebrated her 16th birthday and attended her high school prom over the weekend. The news of demise had shocked both families and friends.
Police found Posey’s body inside a car at a 194-acre state park along the Strait of Georgina Shoreline, nine miles from the Canadian border, featuring a scenic rocky beach and large camping ground. One of her friends, a role model for many in the pageant circuit, shared Posey struggled with mental health, but they were unaware of how badly it was.
“I don’t have words or any thoughts. A beautiful baby girl is gone,” Posey’s mom, Marcy Gatterman, shared.
Her family also expressed in a public statement: “Although she was an accomplished teenager with a bright future ahead of her, unfortunately, in one impetuous moment, she made the rash decision to end her earthly life.” The teen had kept up with the pageant circuit throughout childhood and adolescence, having most recently competed for the Miss Washington Teen USA title in February.
She had earned the title of Miss Lynden Teen USA In 2021.
Posey had also performed contortion with Cirque du Soleil and was quite passionate about the art form, launching a specific Instagram account dedicated to it. According to her Miss Washington Teen biography, she had been named to the Dean’s List during the 2020-2021 school year. After concluding high school, the teen had planned to study aviation in college and become a commercial pilot.
However, Posey’s family has since set up Kailia Posey’s Teen Crisis Intervention Fund to get much-needed resources to students in crisis.
