37-year-old country singer Mindy McCready is dead. Once a superstar, personal problems sidetracked her career to the point of no return. McCready apparently committed suicide on Sunday.
McCready shot both herself and her dog, according to sources. Neighbors in Heber Springs, Ark. reported hearing both of the gunshots.
While Waren Olmstead, the coroner in Cleburne County, Ark., didn't immediately disclose the cause of death, authorities later released a statement.
At 3:31 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 17, deputies from the Cleburne County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to a report of gunshots fired in the area of 1132 Fox Chase Drive in Heber Springs. Officers arrived on the scene at 3:58 PM and discovered the body of 37-year-old Melinda Gayle McCready on the front porch of the residence at 1132 Fox Chase.
Ms. McCready was pronounced dead at the scene from what appears to be a single self-inflicted gunshot wound. At this time family members have been notified of the incident. Ms. Mcready will be transported to the Arkansas State Crime Lab for an autopsy and the matter will be fully investigated.
This would, of course, be a preliminary judgment on her cause of death. However, McCready had a troubled personal life. She had attempted suicide at least three times previously, according to Wikipedia.
Her life seemed to begin to spiral out of control in 2004, when McCready was arrested in Tennessee for using a fake prescription to buy the painkiller OxyContin. Although she initially denied the charge, she eventually pleaded guilty and was fined $4,000, sentenced to three years probation, and ordered to perform 200 hours of community service.
In 2005, McCready's ex-boyfriend, Billy McKnight, was arrested and charged with attempted murder after beating and choking her. That year, she attempted suicide twice. First, she was found unconcious in a hotel lobby in Indian Rocks Beach, Fla., after attempting suicide by taking a large amount of undisclosed drugs with alcohol. Later that September, when she was pregnant with McKnight's child, she attempted suicide again by overdosing on antidepressants
She attempted suicide again in 2008. Paramedics were called to McCready's Nashville home; they transported her to a hospital after finding wounds on her wrists.
The singer also spent numerous times in rehab and even appeared in 2010 on the VH1 reality show "Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew."
On Jan. 13, record producer David Wilson, the father of her youngest child, Zayne, was found dead in his home of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. After his death, McCready released a statement in which she referred to him as her "soulmate" and "life partner." She had an older son, Zander Ryan McCready, from her relationship with Billy McKnight.
McCready was once at the top of the country charts. McCready had released four studio albums which accounted for twelve singles on the Billboard country singles charts. Those singles included the Number One hit "Guys Do It All the Time", as well as the Top Ten hits "Ten Thousand Angels" and "A Girl's Gotta Do (What a Girl's Gotta Do)."
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