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THE agent of a model who fell to his death has suggested he may have been taking a selfie at the time.
Jeff Thomas was found dead at the bottom of his apartment complex in Miami on March 8.
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His cause of death has not yet been confirmed, but his agent suggested he may have fallen off his balcony while taking a selfie.
Police are continuing to investigate it as a possible suicide, but multiple speculations regarding his death have been suggested by those close to him.
The sudden passing of the Miami-based model came as a complete shock to Luli Batista at the Sovereign Talent Group in Los Angeles.
“I just can’t believe it’s true that he intentionally did this. He may have fallen while he was taking a selfie,” the Batista told the Daily Mail.
She added that they had spoke only a day before his death, exchanging messages and jokes regarding an upcoming audition.
Supposedly, they had another call scheduled for Friday.
“He couldn’t wait to tell me about his move to Miami. He seemed thrilled and was proud of himself. He was happy, motivated and excited for his next step just loving life,” she explained.
In a string of social media posts, Thomas’s family members have implied the 35-year-old could have taken his own life.
Thomas’ brother Skylar Ray Thomas, suggested that his brother battled a wave of addiction and mental health issues.
“As you have followed through the years, Jeff traveled the world and lived life to the fullest.
“What you may not know, is Jeff struggled with addiction and mental health challenges, which ultimately led to his tragic passing,” he wrote in a post.
But while his cousin, Meghan Rae, acknowledged his substance abuse problems, she told the Daily Mail that she did not believe that suicide was the cause of his death.
“This was not a suicide,” she said.
“To report otherwise is a complete disregard to his character and who he was.”
She added that the information being published was false and defamatory, before asking for privacy for the family.
Thomas had great success in his modeling career, boasting over 120,000 followers on Instagram.
In a post from last week, he showed off black-and-white photograph of his “new ink” on his forearm, which read “resilience.”
Other images show the fashion model posing with popular celebrities’, like Megan Fox and Nicole Scherzinger.
In addition to showing off his incredible physique, the model had founded an art consulting company called One Popsicle.
While his autopsy has been completed, officials have not officially disclosed a cause of death at this time.
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You’re not alone
SUICIDE is the 10th leading cause of death in the US, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Leading Causes of Death Report from 2018.
There were “more than two and half times as many suicides” in the US than there were homicides, according to the report.
For people ages 10 and 34, suicide was the “second leading cause of death” and the fourth for individuals ages 35 to 54.
Suicide is a vital health concern in the U.S. It affects all genders, races and ages.
This is why The-Sun.com launched the You’re Not Alone campaign.
The campaign calls on readers to discuss their mental health issues with their family, friends and health professionals. We can all pitch in to help out others who may be suffering and help save lives.
If you are struggling to cope, you are not alone. There are many free and confidential programs in the US aimed to help those who are struggling with their mental health.
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health problems, these organizations are here to provide support:
