Bria and Shay, two Tennessee sisters with severe autism, are among the most well-known faces on TikTok. In the last year, they’ve managed to get the attention of celebrities, like Shay’s favorite entertainer, Ariana Grande, due to the overwhelming support they’ve received on social media. A woman who calls herself Aunt D manages the account that details their everyday activities, Mental Health World, and always ensures that their fans are kept up to date on everything they are doing.
Unfortunately, this last week has been rather tough on Aunt D. On a TikTok Live, she detailed to her viewers that Shay had a seizure in their bathroom despite never having experienced one before. Since then, Shay has been in recovery after a hospital visit, but it appears that tragedy has struck twice. Most recently, Aunt D shared in another TikTok Live that her son, Chris, has decided to take his life. This was posted on a third-party TikTok account unrelated to the
Aunt D tearfully discusses her concern that her son, who suffers from severe PTSD and anxiety, may have taken his own life. At the very end of the video, she turns the camera to reveal police officers searching a body of water somewhere in Tennessee for his body. A few more videos were shared shortly afterward of more officers searching the water via boat. They ultimately find and recover Chris’s body, resolving the mystery of his whereabouts. One commenter sympathized with Aunt D, saying, “omg what a horrible week for her. i hope shay is okay.”
Aunt D’s only update on her official account is a TikTok post featuring a photo of her with her son from many years ago when he was still a child. Considering these two events, I can only hope that Aunt D will take time away from social media to be with her family. Ultimately, she is a human behind the camera and is not obligated to update everyone on everything that happens in her life, regardless of her social media presence.
