Sara Gilson, a social media influencer, was found dead in her Owasso, Oklahoma home alongside her husband Jeremiah Duffey in an apparent murder-suicide. Police suspect Duffey killed Gilson before turning the gun on himself. The tragic incident occurred just 12 days after Gilson publicly accused Duffey of child sexual abuse in a TikTok video.
Ex-husband speaks out about Gilson's struggle
Lyle Landers, Gilson's ex-husband and father of her two children, told People magazine that Gilson 'couldn't seem to get away' from Duffey despite filing multiple protective orders. 'She had been stuck in a relationship where domestic abuse seemed OK,' Landers said. 'I had begged her for five years to get away from him. I had offered to help her, in any way I could, to get away from him. But he seemed to have some sort of control over her, and she couldn't seem to get away.'
Landers added, 'She was a wonderful mother and would die for her children. In fact, her trying to protect children is what ultimately led to her death.'
Protective orders and prior allegations
Court records obtained by the Oklahoman show that Gilson filed for protective orders twice in 2021, but judges dismissed them after she failed to appear in court. This month, Gilson filed another protective order, which was granted. The judge ordered Duffey to stay at least 100 yards away from Gilson and her home. Gilson wrote in her application that Duffey had threatened suicide and possessed a firearm.
In a separate case, the mother of a 15-year-old girl sought a protective order against Duffey, who worked as a basketball coach. The mother alleged that Duffey was seen kissing and touching her daughter after another coach walked in on them. Duffey also sent the teen inappropriate text messages, asked her to join him in his hotel room on a trip, and paid her money to keep quiet about his behavior, the mother said.
Police investigation and jurisdictional challenges
Police said similar conduct by Duffey toward the same juvenile player occurred over an extended period across multiple states. When the teen's parent reported the allegations, police attempted to apprehend Duffey at the school where the incidents took place, but he had already left, according to Owasso police spokesperson Nick Boatman.
Over the next 24 hours, law enforcement across multiple jurisdictions tried to locate Duffey by pinging cellphone towers. The Muskogee sheriff's department even flew a drone near a tower that his phone had pinged. 'He stayed just enough ahead of us that we couldn't track him down that night,' Boatman said.
Because the alleged crimes occurred on Cherokee land and Duffey was a member of the Osage tribe, Owasso police referred the investigation into lewd behavior toward a minor to the US attorney's office in Tulsa, which has jurisdiction over crimes on tribal land. Neither the US attorney's office nor the FBI field office in Tulsa immediately responded to requests for comment.
