More than five months after Stephen “tWitch” Boss died at age 40 in December 2022, a new autopsy and police report is providing more details about his death.
Shortly after the So You Think You Can Dance alum’s death, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner confirmed that he died by suicide via a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. According to the new autopsy and police report, obtained by Us Weekly on Wednesday, May 24, no drugs or alcohol were found in Boss’ system at the time of his death.
The documents also revealed that Boss’ widow, Allison Holker, who married the Alabama native in 2013, told officers that “to her knowledge, [Boss] does not have a history of suicide attempts or suicidal ideation.” Holker, 35, also told law enforcement at the time that her husband did “not have any mental health problems [and] does not have any financial issues or marital problems.”
The Ellen DeGeneres Show DJ was found dead on December 13, 2022, at the Oak Tree Inn in Encino, California. Earlier this month, Holker gave her first televised interview since losing her husband.
“I still feel like the rest of the world where I’m still shocked,” the dancer told Hoda Kotb during an emotional Today show appearance. “No one’s ready for that moment and there’s no one that saw this coming. No one — and that breaks my heart too.”
The Minnesota native said it was “so sad” that none of her late husband’s loved ones knew he was suffering. “He wanted to be the strong one for everyone, and I think that was a little scary for him to think that he might need to ask for help,” she explained. “He was so much love and light. He really wanted to be everyone’s Superman and he said that a lot.”
In addition to managing her own grief, Holker has been struggling to explain Boss’ death to their three children. The duo shared son Maddox, 7, and daughter Zaia, 3. Boss also adopted Holker’s 14-year-old daughter from a previous relationship, Weslie, after they exchanged vows.
“There’s been some really hard conversations. To us, Daddy’s in the stars. So, we can go outside and talk to him whenever we want. … They just ask, ‘When is Daddy coming back?’ and that’s a really hard one,” she shared.
The choreographer admitted that she initially wondered whether she had “missed” a clue to how much her husband was struggling. “I eventually had to tell myself, I can’t change anything that’s happened,” she said. “I don’t allow myself to be in a place of anger or sadness, though I allow myself to feel it. I’m feeling this much pain because I’ve had so much love.”
If you or someone you know is in emotional distress or considering suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).