Frederick Jay Bowdy: Actor Live Streams Suicide On Facebook Days After Being Arrested In Alleged Sex Crime

Frederick Jay Bowdy, 33, an aspiring actor from Texas, live streamed his suicide on Facebook days after being arrested in an alleged sex crime, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Sgt. Tiffany Ljubetic of the Los Angeles Police Department told the Times that they were alerted about Bowdy live streaming his suicide on Facebook through an out-of-state family member. Unfortunately, however, Bowdy was already dead by the time police officers could make contact with him. His body was found in a car near Cumpston Street and Fulcher Avenue.

Users who were watching Bowdy’s live stream were distraught at the actor’s actions, but some of them were confused and thought the live stream was a hoax. To their dismay, however, they soon realized that Jay Bowdy had actually taken his life. One commenter who saw the live stream said that it made him cry, while another Instagram user who saw the video urged others to “always be a shoulder” to people in need like Bowdy.

Facebook was soon contacted by some viewers, and the company responded by deleting the video.

Aspiring actor dies in suicide streamed on Facebook, days after he was arrested in an alleged sex crime https://t.co/FsmZa5fJBG

— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) January 25, 2017

The Los Angeles County coroner’s office was expected to rule on the cause of death this week, but Craig Harvey, a spokesman with the Los Angeles County Coroner, told the New York Daily News that Bowdy had shot himself as officers were approaching his vehicle.

“The gentleman may have shot himself as officers were approaching the vehicle. It’s being investigated as a possible suicide.”

While the reasons for Frederick Jay Bowdy’s suicide remain unclear at this early stage, he was arrested Thursday morning in Santa Clarita on suspicion of sexual assault. He was subsequently released on bail after posting $100,000, said Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Sgt. Janice Banks.

Reports suggested that Bowdy had moved to California recently from Texas, where he had worked as a teacher and coach in Fort Worth. He also owned a semi-professional basketball team.

He had acted in the 2016 film Prepper, an independent movie about a suburban high school teacher dealing with societal collapse, according to the Daily News. He had also landed roles in a handful of TV and films, while he continued to perform as “Houston” for the Hollywood Men, an exotic dance revue in California. He had posted photos of the red carpet of the film on Instagram, saying it was a wonderful experience to be a star at a red carpet premiere.

“It’s one thing to be on the red carpet and another to be the star on the red carpet! #PrepperFilm #Premiere#Interviews #StarPower #LeadActor,” he wrote.

In videos that Jay Bowdy posted on his Facebook profile, he often discussed challenges while growing up and informed his followers that he was the father of six kids, two of whom he had raised while attending college at the University of Texas at Arlington. He had maintained that his first love was basketball, but injuries prevented him from becoming a professional player. At around the same time, he performed in a short film that eventually attracted him toward acting.

“I love doing something I feel like I can be successful at,” Frederick Jay Bowdy said in one of the videos he posted on his Facebook profile.

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