Sister Wives’ Janelle Brown Honors Son Garrison 6 Months After Death By Suicide: ‘You Fought Hard’
Sister Wives star Janelle Brown honored her son Garrison six months after his death by suicide.
“You come up in my photo memories almost every day. Sometimes it doesn’t seem like you’re gone,” Janelle, 55, wrote via Instagram on Thursday, September 5, alongside a photo of Garrison sweetly embracing her. “And then I remember I won’t be getting a call or text from you and it all comes rushing back.”
She continued, “I know you fought hard but in the end you just couldn’t stay. I love you so much and will see you again when my journey is done.”
Janelle’s son died at 25 years old on March 5 from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. The former National Guard member was discovered inside his Flagstaff, Arizona, home by his brother Gabriel Brown, who had been sent by their mother after she learned of concerning text messages from Garrison.
The messages were sent in a group chat with people who work with the Brown family on their TLC reality TV show and Janelle was seemingly not part of the conversation. “I want to hate you for sharing the good times. But I can’t. I miss these days,” Garrison’s text read, per police via Janelle.
The mom of six told police she “should have gotten” Garrison “help” prior to his death, according to a Flagstaff, Arizona, police report obtained by In Touch on March 6.
The police report did not specify what kind of help Janelle hoped she had sought for Garrison, but Gabe, 22, “indicated that Garrison had been struggling with mental health concerns and alcohol abuse.” However, he believed his older brother had been doing better since he had started a new job at the Flagstaff Medical Center.
One roommate named Addison told officers he had “conversations with Garrison about him being depressed lately.”
He stated that Garrison was “an alcoholic and drinks every night.” When asked if the reality star was intoxicated on the evening before his body was found, Addison told police he was when he last spoke to him. Addison also said the Sister Wives star would ask him for late night rides to get food because he was too intoxicated to drive.
Garrison’s older sister Maddie Brown also shared her own tribute remembering him on the six-month anniversary of his death and opened up about the challenges she didn’t know he was facing.
“Every day, I hear from people who, like me, were blindsided by the sudden absence of a loved one,” she wrote in a lengthy message. “Sometimes it’s bullying, sometimes it’s loneliness, and sometimes it’s mental health, which I don’t think we fully understand.”
Maddie, 28, said she was “aware” of her brother’s struggles but added, “This was not something any of us saw any signs for.”
“We were truly blindsided. We talked regularly, and my mom’s kids have always been close-knit, even as life changed around us,” she continued. “Garrison was sarcastic and witty, and in moments of seriousness, he seemed almost uncomfortable with it—like it was hard for him to be vulnerable.”
If you or someone you know is in emotional distress or considering suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
