Police report reveals tragic new details on Darrell Sheets' death after 'suicide note' found at scene
Topics: Mental Health, True crime
Thomas Bamford
Featured Image Credit: Photo by Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images
Topics: Mental Health, True crime
Warning: This article contains discussion of suicide which some readers may find distressing.
Darrell Sheets spent over a decade as one of the most recognisable faces on Storage Wars, becoming known to fans as 'The Gambler' across 13 seasons of the hit A&E series, which follows buyers bidding on abandoned storage lockers in the hope of striking it lucky.
After stepping away from the world of storage auctions, Sheets relocated to Arizona and opened an antiques store, settling into a quieter chapter of life away from the cameras.
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That chapter came to a tragic end on April 22, when Sheets was found dead at his home in Lake Havasu City at around 2am local time, aged 67.
Authorities later confirmed his death was from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, and said they were investigating "allegations of cyberbullying associated with this case" after Sheets' former costar Rene Nezhoda claimed he had been dealing with someone "really, really tormenting him lately."
Nearly three months on, the Lake Havasu City Police Department has released its full incident report, obtained by USA TODAY, and it paints a detailed picture of Sheets' final hours.
According to the report, officers located a note hidden in a closet near where Sheets was found, written in shaky handwriting. It read in part, "I could not take anymore the Facebook bulling."
The report also details Sheets' final evening. His girlfriend told detectives he had been sitting in the garage on his phone after dinner when he received texts from his daughter-in-law, alleging his girlfriend was 'suspicious' and 'stealing money from' him. She said Sheets was 'sad and upset' by the messages.
His girlfriend left to pick up his granddaughter for work at around 8pm, and told police he was in bed when she returned.
Later that night, unable to sleep, he got up, waking her in the process. When she went to find him, she said she saw him holding what she believed to be a handgun to his head, sounding as though he was crying, before he told her to 'go back to bed'.
She said she pleaded with him while backing away and heard a single gunshot, before calling 911. She later told detectives Sheets had been 'stressed out' and was "dealing with some issues with a male slandering his name," and that his son had also clashed with him over 'family drama' during a recent visit.
Investigators also interviewed a man identified in the report as the alleged online bully. He was described as 'extremely uncooperative', denied any involvement in Sheets' death, and insisted he had been 'nowhere near' Arizona at the time.
He told police he had himself been receiving 'death threats', before declining to answer further questions.
A&E previously said it was "saddened by the passing of a beloved member of our Storage Wars family, Darrell 'The Gambler' Sheets," adding, "Our thoughts are with his family and loved ones during this difficult time."
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available through Mental Health America. Call or text 988 to reach a 24-hour crisis center or you can webchat at 988lifeline.org. You can also reach the Crisis Text Line by texting MHA to 741741.