The mother of Cheslie Kryst has issued a statement mourning the loss of her daughter after the Miss USA winner's death was ruled a suicide.
On Wednesday, April Simpkins confirmed that her daughter privately struggled with depression before she died Sunday at age 30 in New York City. Kryst made history in 2019 when she and two other Black contestants swept the coveted titles of Miss USA, Miss Teen USA and Miss Universe in the same year.
"I have never known a pain as deep as this. I am forever changed," Simpkins wrote in a statement. "Today, what our family and friends privately knew was the cause of death of my sweet baby girl, Cheslie, was officially confirmed.