Madalyn Davis, a 21-year-old Instagram model, died after falling off a cliff in Australia earlier this year and new details about her death have just been released following an inquest into the incident. The British tourist died on January 12, 2020, after she climbed over a fence to reach a popular clifftop selfie spot in Diamond Bay, Sydney, and fell 262 feet to her death, BBC reported.
The U.K. hearing into her death found that the model’s body was located 55 feet below the sea and was wedged in a rock wall, according to the outlet. Nottinghamshire assistant coroner Gordon Clow reported the inquest’s findings and concluded that Davis’ death was caused by misadventure, calling it a “great tragedy.” He also reported that alcohol and traces of drugs were found in her system.
The inquest was based on the police’s report of the incident, the Australian coroner’s report and toxicology reports.
Davis Attended a House Party the Night Before She Died & Went to the Cliffs for the Sunrise With a Group of People
InstagramMadalyn Davis
Davis was at a house party the night before her death and decided to go to a popular selfie spot to watch the sunrise along with seven others, The Sun reported. The Lincoln, U.K. native climbed over a fence at the clifftop in Diamond Bay, in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, and plunged over the edge to her death. One of her companions shouted, “she’s gone,” the outlet reported.
During the hearing, Clow said the alcohol and drug traces “impaired Ms Davis’ ability to make decisions and balance,” The Sun wrote. “There is no safe way to consume alcohol and drugs, her death was at a beauty spot which people seek to enjoy, it will doubtless not be the last,” Clow continued. “It was a very great tragedy of someone trying to live their life to the full.”
The toxicology report found that Davis had twice the U.K.’s legal alcohol limit for driving in her blood and she had traces of amphetamines, cocaine, ketamine and MDMA in her system. He said the group of partiers went to “a selfie hotspot where people climb over the fencing” to reach the top of the cliffs. Once there, he said Davis and her friends drank vodka and the group was all “seriously affected by drugs and alcohol,” according to the BBC’s report on the hearing.
Davis had been traveling in the area for a few months after quitting her job as a makeup artist. Prior to her trip to Sydney, Australia, she’d visited Thailand and Bali, Indonesia, The Sun wrote. At the time of her death, she had been sharing photos of her lifestyle and travels to her 20,000 Instagram followers.
Davis’ Mother Begged People to Stop Posting Negative Comments About Her Daughter
InstagramMadalyn Davis
After her sudden and tragic death, Davis’ family shared how devastated they were, with her grandfather Arthur Davis telling The Sun:
It is hell on earth for us. We are absolutely shattered. This is the second death in our family involving a child. We are absolutely distraught, we are wrecked and her mum is not coping at all. There is nothing more tragic for our family but tragedies do sadly happen every day somewhere. She was a beautiful, delightful girl who had her whole life ahead of her.
Her mother, Rebecca Smith, shared how difficult it had been to see online trolls mocking her daughter and posting negative comments. She wrote on Instagram, “My daughter was not self-obsessed, she was a wonderful beautiful person that made a mistake. How can you write such things? She has a little sister and brother who be reading this,” News.com.au reported.
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