Alabama pageant queen dies eight days after falling out of third-story window

The conservative media personality Zoe Sozo Bethel, who was last year crowned Miss Alabama for America Strong, died days after she fell out of the window of a three-story building, the Miami Police Department told Insider on Tuesday.

Police told Insider they responded to a “possible suicide attempt” on February 11 at 12 a.m. The woman, identified as 27-year-old Bethel, was transported to the Jackson Memorial Hospital “in critical condition,” the statement said.

A week later, on Friday, Bethel died, and her cause of death was “blunt force trauma,” police said. Her manner of death was ruled “accidental” by the Miami-Dade Medical Examiner, according to the police statement.

“This was a tragic accident, and no foul play is suspected,” the statement said.

The Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner’s Office did not respond to Insider’s request for comment.

Bethel’s death was first announced in an Instagram post to her account on Monday.

“On Friday, February 18, 2022, at approximately 5:30AM Eastern time in Miami, Florida, our beloved Zoe Sozo Bethel passed from this life into the next as a result of succumbing to her injuries,” the post said.

It continued: “At this time of bereavement, effectual and fervent prayers are solicited for the family members, and the family asks that their privacy wishes be honored and respected.”

Five days earlier, on Wednesday, her account shared a photo with a caption that said Bethel had been involved in an accident on February 10. Doctors said Bethel was in a coma and said she sustained brain damage that couldn’t “be repaired,” according to the post.

None of the posts detailed the nature of the accident.

Bethel had over 25,000 followers on Instagram. She frequently posted about and was an ambassador for Turning Point USA, the conservative nonprofit founded by Bill Montgomery and Charlie Kirk.

“We are honored to have known Zoe Bethel. She has been a pillar in the Conservative movement, always moving with grace and wisdom. She has inspired many, and her legacy will continue to touch the hearts of people everywhere,” Turning Point USA said in a statement.

She was crowned Miss Alabama for America Strong in 2021, according to People.

The Miss Alabama for America Strong Instagram account mourned Bethel in a post Monday, writing that “the world lost a queen” and that “she was a light in this world and we are heartbroken over the loss of such a bright and beautiful woman.”

Bethel was also a commentator for Right Side Broadcasting Network, a conservative media

streaming

company, and associated with Liberty University’s Falkirk Center and the right-wing group Project Veritas, according to her Instagram.

Her family launched a GoFundMe last week to raise money for medical expenses, funeral and memorial expenses, as well as resources for Bethel’s daughter. The fundraiser, which has so far raised more than $44,000 as of Tuesday afternoon has a goal of raising $500,000.

The GoFundMe organizer did not respond to a request for comment. (INSIDER: Excludes headline)