Trigger Warning: This article discusses the topics of suicide and self-harm.
Prior to his suicide earlier this week, Garrison Brown sent some troubling final texts to his mom, Janelle Brown.
She was so concerned about her 25-year-old son that she sent his younger brother, Gabriel, to check on him. Sadly, Gabe was too late, and Garrison had already ended his life.
According to the Flagstaff PD report, the day before his death, Garrison texted a group of people that his family works with (presumably crew members on their Sister Wives show). His words reflected that he was in trouble emotionally.
COVID divided the family
When we first met the Brown family in 2010, patriarch Kody Brown had four wives (Meri Brown, Christine Brown, Janelle, and Robyn Brown). Initially, there were 13 children in the family, but when Kody married Robyn, her three children were added to the mix. The first 13 kids had been raised as siblings, so it was one big, happy family, as far as the children were concerned.
When the Brown family lived in four homes at the end of a cul de sac in Las Vegas, the kids were close to each other and had easy access to their siblings. But the move to Flagstaff separated everyone into four homes scattered across town.
The Coronavirus pandemic only made things worse. Kody’s overly strict rules about sanitation put a wedge between him and his children. He eventually became estranged from many of them, including Garrison and Gabriel. Kody only seemed to care about his family with his fourth wife, Robyn, which was hurtful to his other children.
Janelle told the FPD that Garrison had texted the group, “I want to hate you for sharing the good times. But I can’t. I miss these days.” Garrison may have been grieving the days when his polygamous family was more cohesive.
When Janelle heard about the group text, which she wasn’t included in, she told police that she texted Garrison himself. TMZ reports that “they had a brief conversation for a few minutes before he stopped responding.”
Janelle then contacted some of her other kids and asked who could go check on him. Gabriel volunteered to go, but sadly, it was too late by the time he got there.
Roommates heard a “pop” Monday night
When the police interviewed three of Garrison’s roommates, some of them admitted they’d heard a strange “pop” Monday night, but didn’t think anything more about it. No one thought to check on Garrison at that point.
When Gabriel arrived, he discovered the body of his brother holding a handgun. He called 911 immediately.
Apparently, Garrison was known among his roommates to be struggling with alcohol. Gabriel hadn’t noticed anything different with his brother, who had just started a new job at a medical facility. Outwardly, he seemed to be okay.
But Janelle did tell the cops that her son was estranged from his father, which could have been a source of his depression.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org.
PLEASE LEAVE YOUR CONDOLENCES FOR THE FAMILY BELOW.
