Former Miss USA winner Cheslie Kryst is believed to have jumped to her death from a Manhattan skyscraper early on Sunday morning, only hours after posting a cryptic message to social media that said, “May this day bring you rest and peace.” The 30-year-old beauty queen also worked as a correspondent for Extra and was a lawyer. She was a notable winner of the Miss USA pageant because she used the national platform to speak out about social justice issues when she was named the winner in 2019.
The beauty queen kept an apartment on the ninth floor of the luxury building on West 42nd Street in midtown Manhattan. She is believed to have leaped from a window on the 29th floor of the 60-story building. Authorities believe she jumped at 7:15 am. Her body was found lifeless on the sidewalk, which was covered in a dusting of snow.
Sources close to the truth said that Kryst was last seen on the 29th floor, where there was a terrace open to all residents in the luxury building. Only hours before she jumped, Kryst turned to social media to write her message saying, “May this day bring you rest and peace.”
When police arrived at the scene, they checked Kryst’s apartment for any clues and found a letter. In the note, the former Miss USA winner stated that she wanted everything she owned to be given to her mother, who was also a former pageant winner. She did not explain herself in the letter, and there was no further evidence to suggest why she was willing to end her life by jumping to her death from the Manhattan high-rise.
“Not only beautiful, but she was smart — she was a lawyer,” a police source told the New York Post. “She has a life that anyone would be jealous of. … It’s so sad.”
Kryst catapulted to win Miss USA after securing her spot as Miss North Carolina. When asked to summarize her generation in one word during the Miss USA competition, Kryst decided on the word “innovative” to describe the young people of today.
“I’m standing here in Nevada, in the state that has the first female majority legislature in the entire country,” she said. “Mine is the first generation to have that forward-looking mindset that has inclusivity, diversity, strength, and empowered women. I’m looking forward to continued progress in my generation.”
After her win, Kryst continued to use her voice to speak out about social justice issues. In an interview with Good Morning America in July 2019, Kryst talked about the importance of including everyone in the conversation.
“It’s not just a black issue or a brown issue or a female issue. It’s everybody’s issue, and we have to start viewing it that way,” she said.
Kryst is the latest in a long line of beauty queens who have taken their own lives. In Miss America history, there have been six suicides and two accidental deaths. The most recent death was that of Kira Kazantsev, who won the crown in 2015 and took her life in 2019.
Kryst was one of the most outspoken Miss USA winners and used her platform to give voice to many important issues. She is remembered by friends and family as having a bright future that was cut short when she jumped to her death from the luxury Manhattan high-rise.
