Authorities confirmed to the Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Network, that they are conducting a criminal investigation into the 29-year-old’s death.
The investigation began shortly after 10:30 a.m. Jan. 13 when a woman called 911 and told a dispatcher that Gwozdz had locked himself in a bathroom in her home amid a possible overdose of heroin.
In the frantic five-minute call, the woman, who described herself as a friend of Gwozdz, is heard pleading for Gwozdz to wake up. During the call, she broke into the bathroom and found Gwozdz unresponsive and lying on his side.
The dispatcher instructed her to turn him onto his back.
“Is he breathing?” the dispatcher asked.
“I can’t tell. I can’t tell. I’m so scared,” she said.
Rescue crews took him to a hospital where it appears he remained until his death.
Gwozdz was 28 when he appeared early-on during Season 15 of “The Bachelorette,” which starred Hannah Brown. During the May 27, 2019 episode of the show, viewers were informed Gwozdz had to go home, though the show did not explain why.
A week earlier, Brown and Gwozdz were shown going on a one-on-one date in a helicopter and riding ATVs. Brown later joked about the messy date when the show aired, quipping on Twitter: “Update: I STILL have mud in places it shouldn’t be.”
USA TODAY has reached out to ABC for comment.
Brown declined to comment following news of Gwozdz’s death. Wednesday.
Read more at usatoday.com