Jeff Thomas’ agent has suggested that the late male model died from a fall while taking a selfie and not due to suicide as previously claimed.
“I just can’t believe it’s true that he intentionally did this,” Luli Batista of The Sovereign Talent Group told DailyMail.com.
She was addressing the tragedy that came to light last Wednesday after authorities found the 35-year-old’s body at the bottom of an apartment complex in Miami.
While witnesses claimed that Thomas had jumped intentionally, Batista wasn’t convinced that was the case.
“He may have fallen while he was taking a selfie,” postulated the agent, who deemed suicide particularly unlikely given that she’d spoken to the Floridian less than 24 hours before his death.
She said the two had been engaged in a friendly text convo, in which he’d reportedly been joking about an upcoming audition. They’d even scheduled a call to discuss Thomas’ “move to Miami” and a new venture he was starting — which he reportedly couldn’t wait to tell her about.
“He seemed thrilled and was proud of himself,” lamented Batista. “He was happy, motivated and excited for his next step just loving life.”
She added, “I am so stunned. He was such a beautiful and sweet boy.”
Her theory contradicted a March 11 Facebook post shared by Thomas’ brother Skylar Ray Thomas, who suggested that his bro took his own life after struggling with “addiction and mental health challenges.”
Interestingly, Thomas’ cousin Meghan Rae told DailyMail.com that she didn’t believe he took his own life.
“This was not a suicide,” the bereaved relative declared. “To report otherwise is a complete disregard to his character and who he was.”
Rae added, “The information being published is false and defamatory. No further comments will be made by our family. Please respect our privacy and his memory during this difficult time.”
While the autopsy has been completed, officials haven’t officially disclosed a cause of death at this time.
A fixture in the modeling world, Thomas had been signed to the London-based agency AMCK and appeared in various runway shows, magazines and commercials.
The native Floridian was also the founder and director of the contemporary art consultancy One Popsicle.
The fitness enthusiast was active on Instagram, where the self-proclaimed “proud dog dad” and “aspiring firefighter” frequently uploaded pictures of his chiseled jawline and ripped physique to his more than 120,000 followers.
Some of the photos on his page showed Thomas mingling with various A-list celebrities, including actress Megan Fox, 36, and pop star and “The Masked Singer” judge Nicole Scherzinger, 44.
In one of his final posts before he died, Thomas uploaded a black-and-white image of his latest tattoo, which read “resilience.”
Thomas also had recently shared a heartwarming message about his “#1 Grandma” visiting from California.
“Her dear friend decided to take my beloved Grandma on the cruise after originally planning to go with her recent husband whom passed away during the pandemic,” he captioned a sweet video of her arriving at the Fort Lauderdale Airport on March 5.
“It was a process to do it all after finagling my hectic work day/week, the start to my EMT classes, getting a flat tire, moving into my new home and my transition moving from Los Angles to Miami,” he continued.
“However, somehow I make it work for those that I love, deserve it and appreciate those efforts since they do the same for me.”
As news of his passing spread, many in the modeling world took to social media to memorialize Thomas’ loss on his final Instagram post shared one week ago.
“I met you many years ago in NY,” Kris Haigh, an LA-based fashion designer, wrote on the model’s Instagram page. “You never failed to bring an upbeat energy every time I saw you.”
Haigh added, “We never know what people are really going through. I will use this as a reminder to ask people how they are more even when they seem happy on the outside. RIP Jeff.”
Stuntman and fellow fashion model Joe Carozza recalled, “Your infectious smile always brought so much joy to my life. Rest in peace sweet boy.”
Thomas’ modeling agent Gerald Frankowski shared, “It was a pleasure to have been your agent. You did everything you needed to do to succeed in the biz. Frustrating at times but I knew your goals and your passion to get there. More important was the friendship we developed afterwards. Your heart was always in the right place. RIP #DIT.”
If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or are experiencing a mental health crisis and live in New York City, you can call 888-NYC-WELL for free and confidential crisis counseling. If you live outside the five boroughs, you can dial the 24/7 National Suicide & Crisis hotline at 988 or go to 988Lifeline.org.