In the two months that have passed since Michael Duarte, an influential figure, was shot and murdered by law enforcement, fresh information on his death has been extracted from an autopsy.
The content producer, who was 39 years old and known online under the moniker “FoodWithBearHands,” was shot by a deputy on November 8 and was subsequently declared dead at a hospital in San Antonio. Spokeswoman for the Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office said that he had died as a result of the gunshot wound, and that his manner of death was formally determined to be murder.
The corpse of Duarte was found to have two bullet wounds, namely one on his left chest and the other below his chest. Duarte’s death was confirmed to be the consequence of the gunshot wounds, according to the findings of the medical examiner.
There was no evidence of alcohol or narcotics in his body at the time of his death, according to a toxicology report that was also included in the autopsy as part of the investigation.
In a recent interview with TMZ, representatives from the Medina County Sheriff’s Office said that they got a call to 911 at around 11:28 a.m. on November 8, “regarding a disturbance involving a male subject with a knife acting erratically.”
At the scene, a deputy reportedly found Duarte “making threats to kill everyone” and “attempting to assault Fire and EMS personnel,” as reported by USA Today for the news outlet. She reportedly “charged toward the deputy while yelling, ‘I’m going to kill you,'” she fired her pistol twice, and hit him. She gave him “multiple verbal commands” to get on the ground, according to the site, and after that, he allegedly “charged toward the deputy.”
Duarte maintained a following of over two million people across several social media platforms, including Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube, by posting cooking videos and recipes for grilling and barbecuing. His wife, Jessica, and their baby daughter, Oakley, are the only ones who will remember him.
The news of Duarte’s passing was first announced by Alooma Media Group, the talent agency that represented him, in an Instagram post on November 9th. In the post, they referred to him as a “true and loyal partner, a trusted collaborator, and above all, a remarkable person.”
In a memorial that she posted on Instagram on November 13, Jessica made her first public announcement on the passing of her husband. She said that she intended “to keep his legacy going.”
She wrote, “I feel so touched and proud to know so many people that he has inspired over his time here on earth,” and she expressed her feelings in a blog post. It is now my responsibility to return the whole amount that he provided to everyone else. It is not entirely clear to me what that entails at this point, but I hope he will guide me in that direction.
She continued to be candid about her husband’s passing on Thanksgiving, posting on Instagram that she hoped the holiday “was over as fast as it came.” Duarte’s widow remained outspoken about his passing.
She went on to say, “I am aware that I have a great deal for which to be grateful, but I am going to show myself some grace and allow it to be okay if I am not thankful today.” As of right now, I still find it hard to accept that this is my new normal without you. “I suppose that there is something for which I should be thankful today.”
During his childhood, Duarte was raised in Calipatria, California, a tiny community located near the border between the United States and Mexico. He began his culinary education by working at a small Mexican restaurant that was run by his uncle, whom he referred to as a “mentor” in an Instagram post.
After reaching the age of majority, he continued his career in the sector by working at several restaurants in and around San Diego. After facing what he described as a “mental health crisis,” Duarte went to rehabilitation around the time when the COVID-19 outbreak was going on, as he recounted on Instagram. After completing his rehabilitation, he found a new job at a restaurant and began using his leisure time to post on various social media platforms.
“It was with my daughter that I had my very first one,” he said. “It was at that moment that I became aware of how content creation made me feel. And as time went on, I realized it wasn’t simply a pastime; it had the potential to become a company, something far larger than me.
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