Gilson and her estranged husband, Jeremiah “Shawn” Duffey, were found dead with gunshot wounds in her Oklahoma home on July 23
Credit: @mrsgilson/TikTok
NEED TO KNOW
- Sara Gilson was found dead in an apparent murder-suicide after accusing her husband of being a pedophile on TikTok
- Her estranged husband, Jeremiah “Shawn” Duffey, shot and killed her in her Oklahoma home on July 23
- Gilson was a mother of two, a lifestyle influencer and a hairstylist
Influencer Sara Gilson claimed her husband was a pedophile in a viral video that became one of her final social media posts.
On July 23, the Oklahoma-based influencer and her estranged husband, Jeremiah “Shawn” Duffey, were found dead in an apparent murder-suicide — less than two weeks after Gilson, 43, had gone viral on TikTok for sharing that she had “just found out” that Duffey, 48, was allegedly a pedophile.
“Preparing for when Netflix drops a documentary about my soon to be ex husband who I just found out is a pedophile,” Gilson wrote above footage of herself sitting down. (The video was part of the ongoing Netflix documentary trend, in which users pretend to sit for an interview with the streamer for a documentary.)
“I wish I was joking,” the influencer and mother of two wrote in the caption.
Credit: @mrsgilson/TikTok
The timing of the apparent murder-suicide, along with some tragic details surrounding the situation, have brought national attention to Gilson and her family.
Here’s everything to know about Sara Gilson, the circumstances of her death and the allegations surrounding her estranged husband, Jeremiah “Shawn” Duffey.
Gilson was found dead on July 23
Gilson and her estranged husband, Duffey, were found dead with gunshot wounds in her home on July 23, less than two weeks after she claimed he was a pedophile in her viral documentary trend TikTok.
Gilson was shot by Duffey, who then fatally shot himself, KTUL reported in the wake of the incident, citing the Owasso Police Department (OPD). A child who lived at Gilson’s home in Owasso, Okla., made the 911 call, according to the outlet.
The OPD has not officially named the incident as a murder-suicide, per KTUL. (PEOPLE has reached out to the department for comment.)
She had filed for multiple protective orders against her husband
Gilson filed for an emergency protective order against Duffey on July 10, alleging in her application that he had a gun, threatened suicide “and went on the run,” per The Oklahoman.
Duffey was immediately ordered out of their home and ordered to stay 100 yards away from Gilson, according to court records viewed by PEOPLE.
The emergency filing was not the first time Gilson had filed for protective orders against Duffey. In 2021, she had previously filed two protective orders against him, court records show. These earlier filings were dismissed because Gilson did not appear at the hearing, per The Oklahoman.
Credit: Shawn Duffey/TikTok
Her husband is accused of kissing and touching a minor
Gilson’s death in the apparent murder-suicide also came shortly after a woman filed a protective order against Duffey on behalf of her teenage daughter.
The same day Gilson filed for an emergency protective order, another woman filed a separate protective order on behalf of her minor daughter against Duffey, according to court records viewed by PEOPLE. The minor was a 15-year-old girl who played on the youth basketball team Duffey coached.
The girl’s mother claimed that Duffey allegedly kissed and touched the girl and was caught by another coach, per The Oklahoman. The girl told her mother that Duffey engaged in additional inappropriate behavior, including sending her messages, inviting her to his hotel room during a tournament trip and offering her money “to keep her quiet.”
Credit: @mrsgilson/TikTok
She was a mother of two
Gilson had two children, a daughter and a son, whom she featured often on her TikTok account. She welcomed her kids in a previous marriage, according to KTUL.
One video shared in February 2026 showed her daughter modeling clothes. Another shared in June 2025 showed Gilson’s daughter modeling lash extensions.
A TikTok posted in October 2025 included a slideshow of her son, whom she called “handsome” and “my little cowboy” in the caption. “What makes you happy?” text at the beginning of the video asked before Gilson added the photos of her son.
In another post, Gilson wrote that “supporting my kids is my favorite thing to do.”
Credit: Sara Gilson/Instagram
She was an “incredible mom”
Loved ones are raising funds on GoFundMe for Gilson’s children in the wake of her death. “Her sudden and heartbreaking loss has left an entire community grieving, but the greatest loss is felt by her two precious children, who must now face life without their loving mother,” the fundraiser description states.
The GoFundMe also describes Gilson as “an incredible mom” and “an amazing mother, daughter and friend.”
“Her children were the center of her world, and everything she did was for them,” the description states. “She loved them fiercely, worked hard to provide for them, and dreamed of giving them the best life possible.”
She was a hairstylist and lifestyle blogger
Gilson shared videos on TikTok about lifestyle topics such as clothing, food and beauty. She also posted content about her family — including her father, whose artwork she frequently highlighted — and a wide range of TikToks about her relationship with Duffey, who went by Duff Daddy on TikTok. (His account is currently private.)
Outside of her work as an influencer, Gilson was also a hairstylist and would share videos highlighting work she had done for clients.
Credit: @mrsgilson/TikTok
She shared two final videos after her viral TikTok
After sharing her viral video participating in the Netflix documentary TikTok trend, Gilson shared two more posts on the platform before her death at age 43.
“Everyone talks about romantic love but no one talks about how female friendships literally save your life,” she wrote alongside a July 16 video of herself and a friend.
Gilson shared her final post days later on July 21. “May whatever the f— that was never find me again,” she wrote over a photo of herself on a boat, looking out at the water. In the caption, she added, “Please God. 🫶🏼😔 #traumatok.”
If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
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