Kailia Posey, 16, the child star who appeared on reality show Toddlers and Tiaras, took her own life, her family said Tuesday.
‘I don’t have words or any thoughts. A beautiful baby girl is gone,’ Posey’s mother, Marcy Posey Gatterman, posted to Facebook, confirming her daughter’s death.
Later, Gatterman told TMZ in a statement that her daughter ‘made the rash decision to end her earthly life.’
One of Poey’s friends said the child star, who was a role model for many in the pageant circuit, had shared she was struggling with her mental health but they were unaware how badly it had gotten.
‘We knew she was struggling with a few things, and we all did everything we could to encourage her and help,’ the friend told Page Six, speaking on the basis on anonymity. ‘We didn’t know what was going on.’
Posey’s family has set up Kailia Posey Teen Crisis Intervention Fund with the goal of getting ‘much needed resources to students in crisis.’
Her body was found Monday inside a car at a park in Washington state, authorities confirmed to DailyMail.com.
Birch Bay State Park, where Posey was first discovered by authorities, is a 194-acre state park located along the Strait of Georgia shoreline, about nine miles from the Canadian border, and features a scenic rocky beach and large camping ground.
Posey had just celebrated her 16th birthday on April 19 and attended her high school prom over the weekend.
Kailia Posey, who as a child starred on the reality show Toddlers and Tiaras, has died at age 16 in a reported car accident
Her mother, Marcy Posey Gatterman, confirmed her daughter’s death on Facebook late Monday night
Posey starred on Toddlers and Tiaras, a TLC series following the families of children who competed in beauty pageants. The show ran from 2009 to 2013
Posey became a popular meme after she was caught grinning from ear-to-ear during a segment on the reality show Toddlers and Tiaras in 2012
Washington State Police confirmed to DailyMail.com that authorities were investigating a juvenile death at Birch Bay State Park, in Blaine
Birch Bay is a 194-acre state park located along the Strait of Georgia shoreline, about nine miles from the Canadian border, and features a scenic rocky beach and large camping ground
As a child, Posey starred on Toddlers and Tiaras, a TLC series following the families of kids who competed in beauty pageants. The reality show ran for seven seasons from 2009 to 2013.
Posey began competing in pageants when she was three years old. She became a popular meme after she was caught grinning from ear-to-ear during a segment on Toddlers and Tiaras.
She kept up with the pageant circuit throughout childhood and adolescence, having most recently competed for the Miss Washington Teen USA title in February.
Although she was not crowned winner of February’s competition, Posey earned the title of Miss Lynden Teen USA last year.
Posey recently attended prom with her friends. Social media posts indicate the dance may have taken place over the weekend. Posey is pictured in her prom dress
Posey shared this photo to her Instagram feed on April 23. She was traveling on a cruise. It was the last picture Posey posted to the platform before her tragic passing
She performed contortion with Cirque du Soleil and was seemingly passionate about the art form, having launched a specific Instagram account dedicated to it.
She also played the role of Agnes in the 2018 Netflix film Eli.
Posey was a freshmen student at Lynden High School in Washington, the district confirmed to DailyMail.com. According to her Miss Washington Teen biography, she was named to the Dean’s List during the 2020-21 school year.
Her mother announced last week that Posey had earned a spot on the high school’s football cheerleading team for the upcoming season.
After high school, the teen planned to study aviation in college and become a commercial pilot.
Posey is pictured at the Ultimate Dream Queen Nationals competition in April 2021
Kailia Posey is pictured with her mother, Marcy Posey Gatterman, in an undated photo
Gatterman is pictured with Posey, then 10, during contortionist training. The mother began training Posey as a contortionist from the time she was three months old
Page Six reported Tuesday that Posey was possibly killed in a car accident in Las Vegas. However, the Clark County Coroner told DailyMail.com they had no record of her in their system.
The medical examiner in Whatcom County, Washington, where Posey attends high school, declined to comment on her passing.
While details surrounding her death are unclear, social media confirms that Posey commemorated two monumental events in the days leading up to her death.
The teen celebrated her Sweet 16 on April 19. In a gallery post on Instagram, she shared photos from the party which seemingly took place in Washington state.
Her family and best friends were reportedly in attendance.
@kailiaposeyLil late birthday post♬ original sound – Mia Mugavero
@kailiaposey@kalichanik prom?!♬ original sound – ThatsSoLele_ 👑
Although Posey didn’t offer details about her birthday festivities, she hashtagged several words – including dinner, car and Washington – hinting at what the celebration may have entailed.
Gatterman, on Saturday, posted photos from Posey’s prom night, which seemingly had some wardrobe hiccups.
‘Well the dress didn’t come in and the earrings didn’t. So we found a dress ASAP. We make it work,’ Gatterman wrote on Facebook. ‘Prom 2022 for Kailia and friends.’
The high schoolers posed for pics inside someone’s home and near the 5th & Alley storefront, which is touted on Instagram as a Lynden-based retailer specializing in boho and retro inspired pieces.
Posey celebrated her Sweet 16 on April 19 in Washington state. Her family and best friends were reportedly in attendance for the festivities
Posey is pictured on her 16th birthday with a friend
Gatterman, on Saturday, posted photos from Posey’s prom night, which seemingly had some wardrobe hiccups
‘Well the dress didn’t come in and the earrings didn’t. So we found a dress ASAP. We make it work,’ Gatterman wrote on Facebook. ‘Prom 2022 for Kailia and friends’
Posey is pictured with the girls in her prom group
On April 23, the teen made what ended up being her final Instagram post, in which she revealed she was on a cruise.
She captioned the pic, which showed herself on the ship sporting a red crop top and skirt, ‘none of your concern’ and included the following hashtags: #fun #friends #mylove #cruise.
Last month, Posey posted a photo of herself doing a backflip off a cliff in Ocho Rios, Jamaica.
‘Peace, love, respect- Jamaica,’ the teen captioned the pic of the dangerous stunt and included #daredevil in the post.
While many of her followers applauded the teen for her risky stunt, her pageant coach Cambrie Littlefield issued a warning to the teen.
‘This photo stresses me out, be careful lol,’ Littlefield wrote. Posey replied with a devil emoji.
Littlefield’s most recent Instagram post, published April 8, also featured a picture of her holding a young Posey. She is wearing a shirt that reads ‘Kailia’s coach’.
‘Happy Pageant Day from me and my not so little anymore princesses!!’ the coach captioned the pic.
Littlefield has not yet made a public statement about Posey’s death, but did update her Facebook profile picture on Tuesday in tribute to the teen.
Last month, Posey posted a photo of herself doing a backflip off a cliff in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. While many of her followers applauded the teen for her risky stunt, her pageant coach Cambrie Littlefield issued a warning to the teen to ‘be careful’
Littlefield’s most recent Instagram post, published April 8, also featured a picture of her holding a young Posey. She is wearing a shirt that reads ‘Kailia’s coach’
Toddlers and Tiaras star Kailia Posey is pictured with her mom, Marcy Posey Gatterman, in an undated photo from her childhood
Posey’s loved ones and fans have taken to social media to share their heartbreak and condolences in wake of the teen’s passing.
‘Can’t even believe this has happened. I’m praying for you guys to get through this. She always was so kind to all of us. Rest In Peace,’ America’s Got Talent magician Kadan Rockett wrote on her most recent Instagram post.
‘Thank you for being someone to look up to Kailia,’ commented Mariah Derby-Wine, a fellow pageant competitor. ‘Rest in peace.’
‘Sending prayers to your family,’ said Kennedi Johnston, who performed on NBC’s World of Dance.
‘There are really no words at this time that can make this easier. Our sweet pageant baby gone too soon. 16 years just wasn’t enough,’ pageant make-up artist Natasha Shunta Winn wrote in a Facebook tribute post.
‘To know Kailia Deliz Posey was to love her. Soo beautiful and sweet. Our pageant circle has been broken. You will be greatly missed.’
Posey’s loved ones and fans have taken to social media to share their heartbreak and condolences in wake of the teen’s passing
‘I don’t have the words right now.. I will always remember our talks about Christ and the way you loved so deeply. My favorite memory of you was right before we went on the stage for the production number at Dixieland this past year. I was looking for you and you said, ‘Hold on! I’m reading my devotional. God comes first,” Brooke Wilson shared online.
‘I told your momma just recently that you were one of the most beautiful kids on the inside and out. I meant it then and I mean it now. Your last message to me was telling me that you loved me. I’ll keep it forever. You will be greatly missed.’
‘My heart is shattered and I’m still trying to process this news but we will always remember you and miss you. You inspired me in so many ways,’ echoed Lisa White. ‘Rest In Peace Kailia Posey.’
‘Our hearts are completely broken,’ penned Kelly Costner Patterson. ‘Kailia Deliz Posey was such a bright light in everyones life! We are so glad we had the opportunity to know her and love her.
‘You will forever be missed. Sending prayers and love to you Marcy Posey Gatterman and Cambrie!’