Family Of Jessica Starr, Meteorologist Who Committed Suicide, Speaks Out

Thirty-five-year-old meteorologist Jessica Starr was living the life of her dreams. She worked for Fox 2 in Detroit and was a loving wife and mother of two. She was beloved at the station and enjoyed the support she had from hundreds of Detroit viewers and fans. She seemed to have it all, which was why when she took her own life this past December, it was an unbelievable shock for everyone. Her family is now speaking out about what they believe happened, according to People.

In the months before her suicide, Starr had decided to undergo an eye surgery similar to Lasik after wearing contacts for most of her life. She expected it to be a simple procedure, even less invasive than Lasik. However, in the weeks following she realized something wasn’t right. She was in pain, disoriented, and couldn’t get her brain and eyes to connect. Upon noticing that she was losing weight, Starr’s mother Carol asked what was going on.

“She really knew something was not right within a matter of days. She started to complain of incredibly dry eyes. She had almost no night vision. She had starbursts that she was seeing during the day and at night. She lost like, 25-26 lbs, I kept saying, ‘Are you eating? Are you okay?’ She kept saying, ‘I’m not eating and I’m not sleeping, Mom. This is worrying me. I don’t think it’s going to get better.'”

As Starr’s condition worsened, she began to withdraw from the rest of the family. She didn’t spend as much one-on-one time with her husband or two young children. Her family enlisted the help of multiple eye surgeons and therapists to help, but it was too late.

Fans, viewers mourn after Fox 2 meteorologist Jessica Starr dies by suicide https://t.co/ka8gv6CSEw

— Lori MacKay (@LoriRmt) February 28, 2019

After the meteorologist’s death, her family found a suicide note and audio recordings she’d made. Starr mentioned that she was mad at herself for ever getting the surgery in the first place, saying she should have just left her eyes alone and stuck to her glasses. Her husband, Dan Rose, would like to make it clear that his wife took her own life because of the complications from her surgery, not because she was depressed, according to Fox News.

“Prior to the procedure, Jessica was completely normal, very healthy. There was no depression, there was no antidepressants, there was no underlying issue. She was here one day and she was gone the next.”

If you or someone you know is in crisis, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741. For readers outside the U.S., visit Suicide.org or Befrienders Worldwide for international resources you can use to find help.