Key takeaways:
- Sara Gilson, 43, and Jeremiah Shawn Duffey, 48, were found dead Thursday night at a Collinsville, Oklahoma, home from apparent gunshot wounds.
- Gilson had obtained an emergency protective order on June 10 requiring Duffey to stay 100 yards away from her and her home.
- Owasso police said Duffey had been accused of inappropriately touching a girl he coached in youth basketball, and the case was referred to the U.S. Attorney’s Office because the alleged incident occurred on tribal land.
An Oklahoma parenting influencer was fatally shot in an apparent murder-suicide less than two weeks after she posted a TikTok video accusing her estranged husband of pedophilia, police and court records show.
Sara Gilson, 43, also known as Sara Duffey, was found dead Thursday night at a home in Collinsville, a suburb of Tulsa, along with her husband, Jeremiah Shawn Duffey, 48, according to local police. Investigators said both had apparent gunshot wounds to the head and that the evidence so far indicates Duffey shot Gilson before dying by suicide.
The shooting followed a series of allegations involving Duffey, a youth basketball coach. On June 9, a girl and a parent told Owasso police that Duffey had inappropriately touched the girl during an event at an elementary school, police said. Another coach saw what happened, intervened and reported it to the girl’s parent, according to police.
“Similar conduct by this coach towards this particular juvenile player was reported to have occurred over an extended period of time, in multiple law enforcement jurisdictions, across multiple states prior to this incident,” Owasso police said Saturday.
Police said Duffey fled and had not been seen by officers afterward. Because Duffey was a member of the Osage tribe and the alleged incident happened on tribal land, Owasso police said they referred the case to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for review on a possible charge of lewd molestation of a minor, ending their jurisdiction over that allegation.
After the report, police contacted Gilson and provided information on how to seek an emergency protective order. Tulsa County court records show she filed for and was granted one June 10. Duffey was ordered to stay 100 yards away from Gilson and her home at all times.
The Guardian reported that another woman also filed for a protective order that same day to keep Duffey away from her daughter. Citing legal filings reported by The Oklahoman, The Guardian said the girl alleged Duffey had sent inappropriate text messages, invited her to his hotel room while traveling and gave her money meant “to keep her quiet.” Gilson’s filing said Duffey had a firearm, had threatened suicide and “went on the run,” The Guardian reported.
On July 11, Gilson posted a video to TikTok, where she had more than 30,000 followers, alluding to the allegations. The clip followed a popular trend in which users mimic sitting for a Netflix documentary interview.
“Preparing for when Netflix drops a documentary about my soon to be ex husband who I just found out is a pedophile,” text on the video said. In the caption, Gilson wrote: “I wish I was joking. #plottwist #netflix #documentary.”
Twelve days later, officers responded to a domestic violence call at 11:16 p.m. after dispatchers heard a woman screaming followed by “what sounded to be a gunshot,” police said. Dispatchers tried calling back but received no answer. Moments later, a boy called 911 from a neighbor’s home and said his stepfather had shot his mother, police said.
Gilson’s son was taken into protective custody and later released to a parent who was not involved in the incident, authorities said. Gilson also had a daughter.
An online fundraiser set up for her children described Gilson as “an incredible mom.”
“Her children were the center of her world, and everything she did was for them,” the fundraiser said. “She loved them fiercely, worked hard to provide for them, and dreamed of giving them the best life possible.”
Be First to Comment