The Bachelorette alum Clint Arlis' cause of death has been revealed, and he apparently took his own life at age 34.
|
ADVERTISEMENT
|
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER?? (PHOTOS)
Clint's cause of death was determined after a collection of evidence and several weeks of investigating, although the Batavia Police Department in Illinois had suspected "no foul play" immediately following the former athlete's passing.
"After evidence collection was finished, Mr. Arlis was released to the funeral home chosen by the next of kin. The investigation continued for several weeks after the date of death, including correspondence with the Batavia Police, family members, Mr. Arlis' physicians, and toxicological results," says a press release obtained by Us.
"Coroner Russell's final cause of death was determined to be Asphyxiation by Hanging and the Manner was determined to be Suicide."
The press release continues, "Coroner Russell would like to remind the public to please be aware of the signs and symptoms of suicide and self-harm to those around us. Please refer those suffering with suicidal thoughts to Survival of Suicide in Batavia Illinois at spsamerica.org or call (630) 482-9696."
"Nationally, there is also the Suicide Hotline at 800-273-8255. In the event of immediate threats of suicide, call 911."
According to the coroner's investigation report, Clint had been struggling with paranoia and thought people were watching him leading up to his suicide, Page Six reported.
Clint had also been having issues with his girlfriend of four years.
Clint had reportedly moved in with his parents amid his relationship problems and his parents thought "things were getting better" until he was found dead on January 11.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELORETTE' COUPLES NOW: WHOM DID 'THE BACHELORETTE' STARS AND THEIR BACHELOR PICKS ULTIMATELY END UP WITH?! (PHOTOS)
Page Six reported that Clint had planned to exercise at the local high school on the morning he died and left a note behind, presumably for his family, on his dresser.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELORETTE' COUPLES NOW"It is with great sadness, to tell you that my family has lost my best friend and older brother Clint on the morning of January 11th," Clint's sister Taylor Lulek captioned a photo of the siblings from when they were younger January 12 on Facebook.
"Please respect our family's privacy as we try to cope with this great loss."
That same day, Clint's high school wrestling coach, Scott Bayer, reflected on Clint's time at Batavia High School in Illinois with fondness and admiration.
"It is with a heavy heart and a sense of profound loss that we announce the death of one of the Batavia Wrestling Program's All-Time greats, 2005 graduate, Clint Arlis," Scott tweeted.
"Clint was the beloved son of Coach Tom Arlis and his wife, Jamie, protective, loving older brother of his sister, Taylor, and the boyhood idol and best friend of his kid brother, Coach Logan Arlis."
Scott continued in his post, "I have come to know Clint over the years since I joined Tom's coaching staff and the Batavia Wrestling Family in the late fall of 2005, after his graduation."
Scott said Clint had been "extraordinarily devoted to his family" and "deeply committed to the sport wrestling at a level few of us have ever [reached] in our careers."
"His legacies as a fierce competitor, tireless worker, a caring influence to younger Batavia wrestlers, a devoted friend and a loving son and brother will resonate far beyond his days in our presence," Scott concluded.
ADVERTISEMENT
Kaitlyn called Clint's death tragic when she released a statement on her Instagram Story in January.
"All I want to say is that from knowing him on the show, even though things didn't end on the best terms for us, from his time on the show 'till today, I have heard nothing but incredible things about that person," Kaitlyn said in a video from her bus while touring with Dancing with the Stars.
"From his peers, his students, his coaches, his teachers, his friends, his family, Clint was very well respected in his world."
And Season 21 The Bachelor star Nick Viall, who competed against Clint for Kaitlyn's heart on The Bachelorette in 2015, also had some kind words to say about Clint on social media.
Nick and Clint apparently developed a friendship after their appearance on the show.
"Just heard about the passing of Clint Arlis. I got a chance to get know Clint a little after our time on Kaitlyn's season and I always enjoy are time and conversations," Nick wrote at the time.
"A very kind, unique, and talented person who was taken from this world far too soon. RIP Clint."
Clint had participated in a sexy underwater photo shoot with Kaitlyn before he was eliminated from The Bachelorette 11 during Week 3 of the process.
"I had seen this sweet, nice side of Clint that I was really attracted to," Kaitlyn wrote in her People blog following Clint's ouster.
But Clint had been portrayed as a villain because of his hilarious bromance with fellow bachelor JJ Lane. They had coined the phrase "Villains Gotta Vill" and even released merchandise with that slogan on it after their stint on The Bachelorette.
Clint had worked as a project manager for Lendlease for over five years prior to his passing.
He had graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2010 with a Bachelor's Degree in Architecture. He then received his Master's Degree from the same university in 2013 in Architecture as well as Civil and Environmental Engineering.
ADVERTISEMENT
Clint had also volunteered for the Junior Achievement of Chicago program, which teaches socioeconomic topics to elementary and middle school students in Chicago's impoverished school districts, for five years.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER?? (PHOTOS)
Interested in more The Bachelor news? Join our The Bachelor Facebook Group!
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
