16 And Pregnant Stories That Ended In Tragedy

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This article contains references to substance abuse, suicide, domestic violence, and mental health issues.

"16 and Pregnant" premiered on MTV in 2009 and ultimately became a viewer magnet. The show's premise — chronicling the lives of pregnant teens — was associated with helping reduce teenage births, per a report by the National Bureau of Economic Research. "That's all you hope to do with a show like this — have a positive impact," "16 and Pregnant" executive producer Dia Sokol-Savage told BU Today of its influence. "Especially for a show that garners the opposite opinion, where people say that we glorify teen pregnancy."

Teen births are often met with societal stigma, but in some instances, "16 and Pregnant" showcased stories that have had successful endings. Chelsea Houska featured on the show in 2010 and thereafter became yet another reality television star who milked her 15 minutes of fame since she morphed into an HGTV star with a million-dollar net worth. Similarly, Kailyn Lowry was a Season 2 participant who eventually built a name for herself by founding KILLR Network, a company that is home to several podcasts.

That said, not all stories aired on "16 and Pregnant" have been subject to happy endings. Some former participants have struggled with thoughts of self-harm, while others gave in to drug use. Past cast members have also confessed to telling lies on the show, and tragically, there have been unexpected deaths.

Whitney Purvis shared her story on Season 1 of "16 and Pregnant." The lonesome 16-year-old high school dropout was expecting a child with her then boyfriend, Weston Gosa, and when their bundle of joy was born in April 2009, they named him Weston Owen Gosa Jr. At the time, Purvis was in financial distress and moved in with Gosa Sr.'s mom, but the couple had an on-and-off relationship (which led to the birth of a second child) and eventually called it quits for good.

When Gosa Jr. was 16 years old, he met his untimely death. Purvis took to Facebook to announce his demise, writing in part, "I just don't understand. Oh my baby is gone and I don't know what to do with myself. He was so perfect. This is really my worst nightmare come true. How do you go on in life after losing a child?" In a later interview with People, Purvis said she "was just in shock" when she first heard the news of Gosa Jr.'s passing (he was under the care of his dad at the time) and "just screamed to the top of my lungs."

Purvis later took to Facebook to express that her son's death could have been avoided. Gosa Jr., she said, had chronic medical conditions and no medical insurance, yet a life insurance policy had allegedly been purchased in his name. Purvis further blamed her former partner, Gosa Sr., of living a posh lifestyle at the expense of their son's health and accused him of breaching their parenting agreement.

When Baltimore native Jordan Cashmyer appeared on Season 5 of "16 and Pregnant," she was expecting a child with her boyfriend at the time, Derek Taylor, and had been thrown out by her parents. Jordan was burdened by homelessness and financial constraints, and when the couple was blessed with a daughter named Genevieve "Evie" Shae Taylor, the young mom gave Derek's mother temporary guardianship. Jordan and Derek's relationship also came to an end.

Jordan had personal struggles with drug use that were documented throughout the years. In 2016, the reality television star checked herself into a rehabilitation facility in her hometown after an incident in which she fell and had a concussion and a black eye. Jordan's substance use at the time had reportedly begun affecting her work, ultimately leading to the loss of her job (she was employed at a fitness center). The following year, the mom of two was arrested for drug possession.

Sadly, Jordan tragically died in January 2022. Her mom, Jessica Cashmyer, announced her unfortunate demise on Facebook, writing (via People), "Last night I received a call no parent ever wants. My oldest beloved daughter, Jordan has passed away, she was only 26 years old. Our hearts are truly broken. No parent should ever have to go through losing a child, EVER." It was later revealed that Jordan's death was caused by fentanyl and cocaine intoxication.

West Virginia native Leah Messer appeared on Season 2 of "16 and Pregnant." At the time, the cheerleader was only 17 years old and was expecting a set of twins with her then-boyfriend Corey Simms. The couple had shockingly just begun dating when Messer found out she was pregnant, and she later expressed that she had doubts about their fast-paced relationship. "This is all just, like, an emotional rollercoaster," Messer said (via MTV). Nonetheless, the duo welcomed their little ones, Aleeah and Aliannah, in December 2009. 

Following her appearance on "16 and Pregnant," Messer's story continued when she starred in spinoff "Teen Mom," specifically "Teen Mom 2." Unfortunately, her relationship with Simms became an on-again and off-again affair (they even got married and divorced) until they called it quits. Messer married Jeremy Calvert close to a year after she and Simms split up, but way before they walked down the aisle, the reality star had doubts about having a child together. On Season 4 of "Teen Mom 2," Messer claimed that she'd suffered a miscarriage, but years later, she revealed that she'd actually had an abortion.

In her book "Hope, Grace, & Faith", the mom of three was remorseful for hiding the truth. "I can look back now without regret, but for the longest time, I wasn't okay with the choice I had made," she wrote (via People). "It felt so dark because it was hidden. I wasn't able to talk publicly or privately about it because I let the people who were closest to me at the time convince me that it was something I needed to hide."

Valerie Fairman's story featured on the second season of "16 and Pregnant." At the time, the 15-year-old and her ex-boyfriend, Matt Pryce," were expecting a child, even though the latter denied that he was the father. Valerie had their daughter, Nevaeh Lynn Fairman, in September 2009. She and Pryce didn't see eye to eye on the best way to raise Nevaeh and eventually broke up, but he still maintained a co-parenting arrangement after their split.

Besides her relationship and parenting woes, Valerie had other personal struggles. She had an erratic relationship with her adoptive mother, which led to her being arrested for assault in 2011, and four years later, Valerie was in the news for another arrest on the grounds of prostitution. Sadly, the reality TV star died of an apparent drug overdose in 2016. According to reports, Valerie was at the home of a friend when the unfortunate incident occurred; she was using the bathroom, and when the said friend tried to call her, she failed to respond. Upon breaking the bathroom door, she was found unconscious and later declared dead.

At the time of her death, Valerie's daughter was being taken care of by her adoptive mom, Janice Fairman. According to Janice, her daughter's life had taken a different turn after her appearance on "16 and pregnant." "She was a gorgeous girl and it all went to her head," Janice said in a chat with the Daily Mail. "She thought she could pretty much do whatever she liked after the show. She was determined to get everything she wanted."

When America first met Amber Portwood on Season 1 of "16 and Pregnant," she and her then-boyfriend, Gary Shirley, had a bun in the oven. The lovebirds' little one, Leah Leann Shirley, arrived in November 2008. Although the couple tried to live as one big happy family, they faced several challenges, like Leah's complications with her voice box, and Gary and Portwood's relationship eventually turned out to be tumultuous. The pair split up, and Gary moved on with Kristina Anderson, whom he married in 2015.

Portwood's relationship with her daughter was no walk in the park, either, since the duo had one too many disputes. Case in point: on Leah's 15th birthday, Portwood showed up late to the celebrations that were held at a restaurant. She tried to bring up the topic of her new boyfriend (who shares a name with Leah's dad, Gary), and when Leah declined to see his picture, Portwood called her a "d***" (via Yahoo Entertainment). Similarly, on an episode of "Teen Mom: Next Chapter," Leah said she disliked a present sent to her by her mom on her 16th birthday and further addressed Portwood's absence from her life in her childhood.

In the end, Leah expressed that she wished to be adopted, so that Anderson could be acknowledged as her mother. The revelation broke Portwood's heart. "When I found out about my daughter saying that she wanted to be adopted, it took over everything," Portwood expressed (via People). "I was really just in bed for over four months. But I just realized that I truly just needed my mommy."

Farrah Abraham featured on Season 1 of "16 and Pregnant," during which she left high school to attend community college after whispers about her pregnancy became rampant. Farrah's ex-boyfriend, Derek Underwood, sadly lost his life in a car accident shortly before the then-17-year-old welcomed their baby girl, Sophia Laurent Abraham, in February 2009.

Farrah wrestled with grief and later opened up about struggles with her mental health. In 2012, the mom of one disclosed that she suffered depression, which peaked when Sophia was two years old. She then turned to the use of alcohol, cocaine, and marijuana, all of which seemed to alleviate her pain for some time until the unpleasant feelings reappeared. The reality TV star had thoughts about killing herself and "figured I would drown myself in the bathtub — that seemed like the easiest way to go," as she told In Touch Weekly (via Today).

On the 13th anniversary of Underwood's death, Farrah shared a montage of his grave marker that she captioned in part (via Instagram), "I'm grateful for our family, I've learned more about the human condition, bereavement, trauma, loss, & depression." Earlier that year, Farrah had taken to her Instagram stories to share that she was still struggling with suicidal ideation and depression. She voiced that several people were in the same situation and were in dire need of assistance.

When she first appeared on the third season of "16 and Pregnant," North Carolina native Jamie McKay was looking forward to having a child with her then boyfriend, Ryan McElrath. While the honor student was keen on her daughter having a father figure (her own father was absent during her childhood), McElrath was unreliable during McKay's pregnancy and delivery. He adds to the list of reality television stars who treated their partners like trash, and as such, the couple's relationship was marred by several arguments.

McKay had another pregnancy when she was 18, one which came to light in a 2012 post shared to X (formerly Twitter). The then mom of one shared a sonographic image on the platform that she captioned (via Today), "Rest in peace little angel. September 17, 2012." Although many of her followers sympathized with McKay and thought that she'd suffered a miscarriage, the television star dispelled misconceptions by revealing that she'd procured an abortion.

"Thank you all for the love and support but I want you to know I did not miscarry," she tweeted. "I chose abortion. I chose it out of fear. I feel like I made a mistake and I can't take it back. I have had this in my heart and it has been very hard on me." McKay further revealed that she made the choice because she couldn't stand the thought of being judged by her parents.

Autumn Crittendon appeared on Season 5 of "16 and Pregnant," during which she was expecting her first child with boyfriend Dustin Franklin. The Richmond, Virginia, native often questioned Dustin's preparedness for fatherhood, raising concerns about his unemployment and use of marijuana. The couple welcomed their son, Drake LeSeuer Franklin, in December 2013.

The pair's relationship wasn't necessarily a walk in the park since Dustin ended up in court over child support afterward. They had an on-again, off-again relationship and had their second child (and Crittendon's third), Abigael Ivy Rose, in November 2022. Nearly two years later, Crittendon was found unresponsive during an emergency call at a home in Sandston, Virginia.

A statement from the Henrico County Police Department at the time read in part (via Entertainment Weekly), "Members from Henrico Fire attempted life-saving measures however they were not effective. The adult female, Autumn Oxley, 27, of Henrico, was pronounced deceased at the scene." Following her passing, a GoFundMe campaign was set up in Crittendon's honor, which attracted contributions from well-wishers. Virginia authorities later revealed that Crittendon had died (in an accidental manner) from fentanyl and para/meta-fluorofentanyl toxicity.

When she was featured on Season 1 of "16 and Pregnant," Catelynn Lowell and her then boyfriend, Tyler Baltierra, were expecting a child in the latter's junior year of high school. The couple's baby, Carolyn Elizabeth, was born in May 2009, and they opted to place her up for adoption. Even though the Baltierras initially had a good relationship with Elizabeth's adoptive parents, that association was severed to the point where the former got cut off.

Lowell and Baltierra tied the knot in 2015 and also became a family of five; their three daughters, Novalee Reign, Vaeda Luma, and Rya Rose, were born in January 2015, February 2019, and August 2021, respectively. Though the Baltierras appear to be a picture-perfect brood, Lowell is among a ton of celebs who have opened up about their struggles with mental health. On an episode of "Teen Mom OG," Baltierra revealed that Lowell had suffered a miscarriage. At the time, the couple noticed heavy clotting in place of the usual spotting, which Baltierra told producers was a "very traumatic" experience since "she's got blood everywhere" (via People).

The episode aired much later, but at the time, Lowell took to X to express that she was struggling with thoughts of self-harm. "Well today I thought of every way to kill myself ... so I'm going to treatment #makeChesterProud @TalindaB #KeepTalkingMH #thiswontlast," the mom of three wrote. She later told the "Real Life with Kate Casey" podcast that she also experienced multiple panic attacks that led to depression.

When Selena Gutierrez was featured on "16 and Pregnant," she and her then-boyfriend, Sean Garinger, were expecting a child. Gutierrez's large family was skeptical of their bumpy relationship, which was marred by cheating allegations on Garinger's part. The couple's daughter, Dareli Marie, was born in October 2020, but the pair had a difficult time co-parenting. Nevertheless, they still had another child named Esmeralda Estrella.

In March 2024, Garinger lost his life in a tragic ATV accident. Garinger's mom, Mary Hobbs, recounted the unfortunate circumstances in an interview with The Sun. "I was with him when it happened. He [ Garinger] was just moving [the ATV] from one parking spot to the next for me, so I could back into park," she narrated. "He pulled [in] front of me to park the ATV and the ground gave way from all the rain and mud."

The cause of Garinger's death was later determined to be blunt force injury to the head. By that time, his relationship with Gutierrez had deteriorated to a point where they only communicated through other people. Gutierrez has since announced her third pregnancy.

If you or anyone you know needs help with mental health, substance abuse, domestic abuse, or suicide, contact the relevant resources below:

• The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
• The Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.
• Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org.
• The National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.