An FBI investigation was underway in the months before Darrell Sheets’ death, according to police body camera footage revealing the “Storage Wars” star had been working with federal agents on a cyberbullying case that would later be cited in his suicide note.
In January 2026, Sheets told a Lake Havasu police officer he was in touch with the FBI about his cyber-bullying case and that an FBI agent had been assigned to investigate. The agent told Sheets the investigation “could take a month or eight years” and that his case was “microscopic compared to what we’re looking at,” according to body camera footage.
The reality television personality died April 22 at 67 of what the Lake Havasu City Police Department concluded was “a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.” A handwritten suicide note recovered from a bathroom closet basket near where Sheets was found pointed directly to online harassment, reading in part, “I could not take anymore the Facebook bulling, f*** you [redacted].”
The case was closed and ruled a suicide by the medical examiner with no evidence suggesting anything other than what was listed in the medical examiner report. Sheets’ final text messages revealed “he was struggling with numerous things,” according to a police report.
Final Days With Family
His son Brandon visited days before his death. Sheets was “devastated” since his son left and “sad as hell,” going “down a rabbit hole,” according to the police report.
A Pattern of Sleepless Nights
Sheets’ girlfriend told investigators that stress had plagued him with chronic insomnia for months leading up to his death. That final night followed a familiar pattern — he complained he could not sleep and eventually rose from bed, positioning himself near his home office. She later heard the sound of a gunshot.
The incident report describes a man who had been enduring significant internal turmoil well before that final night, with sleeplessness driven by stress becoming a persistent struggle. His girlfriend indicated the pattern had worsened in the time preceding his death.
What the Note Contained
Finding the handwritten note tucked inside a basket in a bathroom closet, investigators pieced together what Sheets had been carrying privately. Beyond the direct reference to Facebook bullying, the note also included the phrase “go back to bed” — words that paint a quiet, devastating picture of a man who perhaps did not want to disturb those around him even in his final moments.
Details from the police incident report emerged more than two months after Sheets’ death and were reported by journalist Adam S. Levy on July 8, 2026, drawing widespread attention to the circumstances surrounding one of reality television’s most recognizable personalities. Police records revealing the new information were reported widely beginning July 8, 2026.
A Beloved Reality Star
Sheets was 67 years old at the time of his death. Over the course of his years on the A&E competition series “Storage Wars,” which follows buyers who bid on the contents of abandoned storage units, he cultivated a loyal following who admired his sharp eye for valuable finds and his larger-than-life energy on screen. His charisma and expertise made him one of the show’s most enduring presences.
News of his passing in April prompted an outpouring of grief from fans and fellow cast members, and the release of new details from the police report on July 8 and July 9, 2026 reignited that grief — this time with a clearer and more troubling picture of what he faced privately. The note’s explicit mention of social media harassment has prompted renewed focus on the destructive toll cyberbullying can exact on public figures, who often appear insulated from ordinary pressures by their visibility and success.
If you or someone you know is struggling, contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988. Help is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.