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Former Miss USA jumped to her death, months after penning essay about fear of growing older

The 30-year-old pageant queen was found dead below her 60-story Manhattan high rise on Sunday morning

Published: January 31, 2022 2:27pm

Updated: January 31, 2022 5:17pm

Former Miss USA Cheslie Kryst jumped to her death from a Manhattan high-rise early Sunday morning.

The 30-year-old attorney who won the 2019 pageant was found at about 7:15 a.m. dead in the street beneath her luxury 60-story building in midtown.

Kryst, who had last year written an essay in Allure sharing her anxiety about turning 30, posted a cryptic message on her Instagram page shortly before she jumped.

"May this day bring you rest and peace," she wrote. "Society has never been kind to those growing old, especially women. (Occasional exceptions are made for some of the rich and a few of the famous.)"

At 28, Kryst became the oldest female win the Miss USA title.

A motive remains unclear, but the former pageant queen did left behind a note leaving everything to her mother. The New York Police Department is investigating her death.

In recent years, Kryst worked as an ExtraTV reporter and correspondent. 

"Her great light was one that inspired others around the world with her beauty and strength. She cared, she loved, she laughed and she shined," read a statement from Kryst's family. 

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