The devastated family of Miss Alabama Zoe Sozo Bethel has pushed back against suggestions the mother-of-one jumped to her death from a Miami condo.
In a lengthy statement provided to DailyMail.com, Zoe’s loved ones insisted that the ‘devout believer in Jesus’ and ‘proud conservative’ would never have taken her own life.
The beauty queen, 27, was in a coma for eight days after suffering catastrophic brain injuries when she fell from a third-floor window in the waterfront Edgewater neighborhood.
Family members announced last Friday that Zoe, who has a five-year-old daughter, had died as a result of an unspecified February 10 ‘accident’.
The Miami Police Department investigated the horror plunge as an attempted suicide but clarified Tuesday that the death is now being considered a ‘tragic accident’, and have ruled out foul play.
The beauty queen was in a coma for more than a week after suffering brain injuries when she fell from this seven-story residential building
‘She was growing and becoming more successful each year of her life, and she was only just beginning. And if she had a choice, she would still be here with us today,’ Zoe’s heartbroken family said.
Their statement went on: ‘As is common with any death that is not due to natural causes, law enforcement will conduct an investigation into the cause of death.
‘Thus, the investigation into the cause of Zoe’s death is part of the normal protocol for law enforcement, and is still open and pending.
‘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 family reserves the right to release information as is appropriate in conjunction with the investigation and will make certain necessary information available at the conclusion of the investigation.’
Zoe of Loxley, Alabama is believed to have been staying with a family member when cops were called to the seven-story La Piazza Navona building, where apartments rent for around $2,400 per month.
‘On Friday, February 11, 2022 at approximately 12:05 am, Miami Police Officers responded to a call of a possible suicide attempt,’ the Miami Police Department said in a statement.
‘The preliminary investigation revealed that the victim fell out of a third-floor window. The victim was identified as 27-year-old, Zoe Sozo Bethel. She was transported by Miami Fire Rescue to Jackson Memorial Hospital in critical condition.
‘On Friday, February 18, 2022 at 5:24 a.m., Zoe Sozo Bethel succumbed to her injuries. The Miami-Dade Medical Examiner ruled the cause of death as ‘Blunt Force Trauma’ and the manner of death is ‘Accidental’. This was a tragic accident, and no foul play is suspected.
Bethel, 27, a deeply religious beauty pageant contestant and conservative commentator, died Friday in Miami of head injuries that she sustained in a ‘mysterious accident’
The family’s statement said, ‘As is common with any death that is not due to natural causes, law enforcement will conduct an investigation into the cause of death. Thus, the investigation into the cause of Zoe’s death is part of the normal protocol for law enforcement, and is still open and pending.
‘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 family reserves the right to release information as is appropriate in conjunction with the investigation and will make certain necessary information available at the conclusion of the investigation.’
Bethel represented Alabama in the Miss for America Strong pageant, which honors single women.
She was also a political commentator for RBSN, a conservative media company known for covering former President Donald Trump‘s rallies, according to her family.
According to the family’s social media posts, Bethel suffered ‘severe damage to her brain/brainstem’ on February 10 in an accident in Miami. She was in a coma until February 18 before she passed away.
‘Zoe touched the hearts of many people,’ the family posted on social media.
A message posted on February 14 said that ‘unfortunately the doctors are saying the damage cannot be repaired & that she may not have much time left.’
Her death comes after that of 2019 Miss USA, Cheslie Kryst, who was also in a falling incident.