16 and Pregnant star Autumn Crittendon died aged 27 from an accidental drug overdose, it has been revealed.
The mother-of-three was found unresponsive in her Henrico County, Virginia home in July – and was later pronounced dead after failed CPR attempts.
According to the Virginia Department of Health reported by TMZ, Crittendon’s official cause of death was toxicity from fentanyl and para-fluorofentanyl – a synthetic opioid similar to fentanyl.
Her manner of death is listed as accidental.
Autumn was reportedly battling health problems before her death – including diabetes, kidney and blood pressure issues.
It was also claimed Autumn had recently been sick, complaining of heartburn and wanting to see a doctor.
16 and Pregnant star Autumn Crittendon died aged 27 from an accidental drug overdose, it has been revealed
She appeared on season 5 of the hit show which documented her giving birth to her eldest son, Drake, who she welcomed with then-boyfriend Dustin Franklin
She appeared on season 5 of the hit show which documented her giving birth to her eldest son, Drake, now 10, who she welcomed with then-boyfriend Dustin Franklin.
Autumn also had another son and a daughter aged five and 18 months.
Autumn’s death was announced by her sister Misty in a now-deleted Facebook post – captured by Starcasm – on Sunday.
Misty wrote: ‘To my dearest baby sister, my twin, my rock, my babies mother, my go to, my world, the only one who got me and most of my childhood trauma, who endured it all with me, my Arnold.
‘You were robbed of your life at such a tender age.
‘You left before anyone could tell you goodbye… how much we love you.. how amazing you are and how proud we are of you for staying sober through some of the toughest parts of your life, how far you’ve came from where you were, how thankful we are to have had all these years with you, how proud of you we are as a mother, how grateful we are for the 3 tiny parts of your heart that are still walking this earth.’
Recalling the devastating moment she had learned of her sister’s death, she wrote: ‘Pulling up seeing all the vehicles, an empty ambulance.. and jumping out of the truck as soon as I could begging the paramedics and cops to tell me you were okay and they were just working to keep you alive in there.. But my worst fear was confirmed and I collapsed in the road.’
As well as son Drake, 10, Autumn also had another son and a daughter aged five and 18 months (pictured)
According to the Virginia Department of Health reported by TMZ , Crittendon’s official cause of death was toxicity from fentanyl and para-fluorofentanyl – a synthetic opioid similar to fentanyl
Autumn is pictured on the show which aired in 2013
‘I went down the hall to check the rooms to make sure you weren’t hiding back there, but they laid empty.. quiet.. I went where you were last and just stood there in disbelief.. how was my baby sister gone? I was just talking to her.
‘No way this is real life. It’s not real. Begging God to give you back to us.. I seen the shirt you were wearing and I held it so tight, I smelled it for so long as I just stood there empty, broken, finally allowing myself a moment to fall apart while I knew the kids were okay and I was alone. I’ll hold that shirt close to my heart forever.
‘We are gonna make sure these babies are okay. Your memory will not fade over time. It will live on every moment of every day.’
Autumn’s episode of 16 and Pregnant saw her navigating impending motherhood while her relationship with Franklin crumbled.
Franklin is unemployed and regularly smokes marijuana – which he says he will not quit when the baby is born.
However he later lands a job and attempts to overhaul his life.
However when Drake arrives, Autumn was left devastated over Franklin failing to provide child support for their son – and takes him to court over the matter.
