Storage Wars stars Laura and Dan Dotson have claimed that Darrell Sheets feared for his life due to alleged cyberbullying before his death.
“His family told us that this has been happening for three years,” Laura, 57, exclusively tells Us Weekly. “[It happens to] even strong men that you think aren’t gonna get their feelings hurt. Cyberbullying is a real thing. This made him feel less than, and it really obviously bothered him. He was terrified for his life [and] for the people around him. He didn’t know why he was being targeted.”
Laura and husband Dan, 63, worked with Sheets on Storage Wars before his retirement from the A&E reality series in 2023. Sheets died at age 67 after an apparent suicide on Wednesday, April 22, in Lake Havasu City, Arizona, a spokesperson for the Lake Havasu City Police Department confirmed to Us.
An official cause of death has not been confirmed. Us reached out to the Mohave County Medical Examiner’s office for comment.
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“He had other things also,” Laura continued. “His health and certain things that might have contributed to [his death]. Relationships, love interests and stuff that would go up and down, but [he] truly, truly was a wonderful, loving person who believed in God.”
Laura and Dan also recalled Sheets’ reaction to another friend’s death by suicide, with Dan noting that Sheets was in disbelief.
“He says, ‘I can’t believe anybody that could do that,’” Laura said. “‘They must have so much pain.’ So it was so hard for us to really believe that this happened.”
Weeks before his death, Sheets called out alleged cyberbullies in a post shared via Facebook.
“I have been hacked by a very evil person,” he wrote in March. “The clown. [The posts] are not done by me, they are being done by … very evil people. I’m not gay, I have made no posts about any children’s arcade owner, etc. I’m extremely sorry and sick over this.”
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Sheets continued, “He said he would, please understand it is not me. People are showing up to my work and wanting to harm me. The police are aware of this but [their] hands are tied because Facebook allows this and it is very bad.”
Days later, Sheets claimed his “cyberbully stalker” allegedly victimized others via social media.
“He has been going after other small businesses in town and harassing them, using my name,” he wrote. “It is not me! He has extorted money from many people in this town acting like a handyman. This has been going on for three years with him, and the things he says are very damaging. This is a felony called cyberbullying.”
The Lake Havasu City Police Department told Us in a statement that it is “aware of the cyberbullying accusations involved in this incident and these claims are a part of the active investigation.”