Cheslie Kryst, winner of Miss USA 2019, has been confirmed as the woman who jumped to her death from the 29th floor of the Orion condominium building on Sunday morning.
She was 30.
New York Police Department officers were called to the 60-story building in the theater district of Manhattan at 7:05 a.m. They had received a report that a woman had leaped from the terrace.
The NYPD suspects Kryst’s death was a suicide. They are still awaiting a ruling from the medical examiner.
Before Kryst won Miss USA in 2019, she received her MBA and a law degree from Wake Forest University and worked as a litigation attorney. Kryst also ran a fashion blog and worked as a correspondent for Extra TV.
“She was one of the brightest, warmest, and most kind people we have ever had the privilege of knowing, and she lit up every room she entered,” the Miss Universe and Miss USA Organizations said in a joint statement. “Our entire community mourns her loss, and our thoughts and prayers are with her family during this difficult time.”
In October 2019, Kryst handed out advice on how to cope with stress on World Mental Health Day.
“I do a lot to make sure that I maintain my mental health,” she said in the video shared to Facebook. “And the most important thing that I did is talk to a counselor. She’s really easy to talk to. She gives me great strategies especially if I’m sad or happy or have a busy month ahead of me.
“When I’m not talking to my counselor, I spend time at the end of every single day to just decompress,” Kryst added. “I unplug, I shut my phone off, I don’t answer messages. I just sit and watch my favorite movies.”
Her family released a touching statement, saying the beauty queen “embodied love and served others.”
“In devastation and great sorrow, we share the passing of our beloved Cheslie,” her family said. “Her great light was one that inspired others around the world with her beauty and strength. She cared, she loved, she laughed and she shined.”
Sources told the New York Post that Kryst left behind a note saying she wanted to leave everything to her mother, a former pageant competitor herself who was crowned Mrs. North Carolina in 2002.
If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
