Neighbors of former Olympic gold medalist Tori Bowie claim that she appeared “heavily pregnant” before authorities found her mysteriously dead this week at her Florida home.
Friends and neighbors of Bowie told the Daily Mail that the decorated athlete had a troubled history full of erratic behavior, with one recalling having seen her “in the street clutching a knife and screaming at a boyfriend.”
“In another unsettling incident, the celebrated sprinter – who won gold in the women’s 4 x 100m relay at the 2016 Olympic Games – is said to have pelted eggs at the house opposite,” alleged the Mail.
Tori Bowie of the United States celebrates winning gold in the Women’s 100 Metres Final during day three of the 16th IAAF World Athletics Championships London 2017 at The London Stadium on August 6, 2017, in London, United Kingdom. (Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
Two neighbors told the outlet that Bowie “appeared to be around seven or eight months pregnant when Orange County deputies carried out a welfare check at 1 pm Tuesday and found her body.” While investigators have ruled out foul play, they have yet to determine a cause of death.
One neighbor described Bowie as a “thin woman” who “looked like she had half a basketball under her shirt.”
“I came out of my house one time, and she was standing there in the street clutching a knife and shouting at a man,” another neighbor recalled. “A family friend of mine managed to talk to her and calm her down but it was scary, it made my daughters uncomfortable. Her life was erratic and unhealthy but I’m very sorry about what happened to her. She was so young. Why didn’t her friends help her?”
Bowie’s Florida home faced repossession after failing to pay her homeowner’s association fees for two years, owing up to $22,000. Neighbors said her garage door often appeared open at all hours, along with her front door and windows. Some even began to fear squatters had overtaken the property.
“We’ve heard shouting and screaming, loud music in the middle of the night. But what shocked me was that she appeared to have gotten much better lately,” said one neighbor, adding that her alleged pregnancy seemed to make Bowie happier.
Tori Bowie of the United States crosses the finish line to win the Women’s 100 Metres Final ahead of Elaine Thompson of Jamaica during day three of the 16th IAAF World Athletics Championships London 2017 at The London Stadium on August 6, 2017, in London, United Kingdom. (David Ramos/Getty Images)
“Having a baby seemed like it had made her happier. That’s what makes it so sad – we are talking about two lost lives,” the neighbor said. “It goes to show that you can have fame, success, everything in the world but it won’t fix what’s going wrong on the inside. She had personal demons but she was a good person.”
Bowie won gold medals as part of the U.S. women’s 4 × 100 m relays at the 2016 Olympic Games and 2017 World Championships.
Paul Roland Bois joined Breitbart News in 2021. He also directed the award-winning feature film, EXEMPLUM, which can be viewed on Tubi, Google Play, YouTube Movies, or VIMEO On Demand. Follow him on Twitter @prolandfilms or Instagram @prolandfilms.