‘Abrupt and traumatizing.’ Beauty queen dead after accident in Miami, family says
A 27-year-old beauty queen and activist died in Miami on Friday and her family is in shock.
Zoe Sozo Bethel, who appeared as Miss Alabama for the America Strong 2021 pageant, was just 27.
Bethel succumbed to injuries from an accident in South Florida eight days earlier, her family announced on Instagram on Sunday. They had been updating her followers, telling them that her brain stem was affected, and the doctors were saying the damage cannot be repaired.
“This has been an abrupt and very traumatizing situation for our family and we can imagine how much of a shock this will also be to everyone who knows and cares for her,” said the caption next to a picture of Bethel smiling and healthy.
According to the Miami Police Department, officers responded to “a possible suicide attempt,” at around midnight Feb. 11 at condo in the Edgewater area.
Investigators say the victim “fell out of a third-floor window” and was transported by Miami Fire Rescue to Jackson Memorial Hospital in critical condition.
The Miami-Dade Medical Examiner ruled her cause of death as blunt force trauma, and the death an accident. No foul play is suspected.
The single mother of one was a political commentator and brand ambassador for Conservative group Turning Point USA. Her social media recently placed her at the Project Veritas far-right conference at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach and the former president’s Trump National Doral Resort.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help with funeral and medical expenses. Roughly $43,000 of the $500,000 goal has been reached.
This story was originally published February 22, 2022 at 1:49 PM.
