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Daisy Coleman death: Audrie and Daisy star dies aged 23 as mother says she 'never recovered' from sexual assault

Getty Images
Getty Images

Daisy Coleman, a sexual assault victim activist and subject of the Netflix documentary Audrie & Daisy, has died aged 23, her mother has confirmed.

Melinda Coleman told TMZ that her daughter took her own life on Tuesday night.

Audrie & Daisy followed the young woman’s experiences of trauma and the impact on her family following the alleged attack she suffered as a teenager.

She was 14 when she reported being raped at a party in Maryville, Missouri.

Daisy Coleman's case prompted widespread attention (Getty Images for the World Child)
Daisy Coleman's case prompted widespread attention (Getty Images for the World Child)

No one was ever convicted of the assault, and the charge against the teenage boy she accused was dropped.

Ms Coleman spoke of being bullied in light of the incident, which sparked national attention.

She was reportedly found dead after her mother called police to check on her.

"She was my best friend and amazing daughter," her mother wrote in a Facebook post.

"I think she had to make it seem like I could live without her. I can't.

"I wish I could have taken the pain from her! She never recovered from what those boys did to her and it's just not fair. My baby girl is gone."

Daisy alleged she was assaulted by a 17-year-old Matthew Barnett at a house party in January 2012.

Melinda said she found her daughter outside the following morning wearing just a T-shirt and tracksuit bottoms in sub-zero temperatures.

Barnett was charged with a felony sexual assault but the case was eventually dropped. Ms Coleman's family argued that this was due the boy's family's local political connections.

Barnett pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of endangering the welfare of a child, arguing he had had consensual sex with Daisy.