Exactly one year ago today Bobbi Kristina Brown posted what would be one of the last pictures of her and Nick Gordon together. The months that followed would bring a mysterious medical crisis, a prolonged and ultimately futile hospitalization, sorrow at her untimely death and legal and criminal actions that remain unresolved.
Credit: Jennifer Brett
Credit: Jennifer Brett
On Jan. 31, a little more than a month after posting the holiday photo of the man she referred to as her "husband," Bobbi Kristina would be discovered unresponsive in a bathtub in the Roswell townhouse where she and Gordon were living.
She was hospitalized for months. Although rumors periodically cropped up suggesting she was showing signs of improvement she never regained consciousness.
Members of her father Bobby Brown's family attended a public prayer vigil hosted by the city of Riverdale and two relatives in particular, her aunt Leolah Brown and cousin Jerod Brown were demonstrative in their hopes for her recovery.
Jerod and Gordon teamed up on a commemorative T-shirt project. Then he released a commemorative video that he made in his cousin's honor later announced a "global prayer tour" to raise money to pay for her care.
Credit: Jennifer Brett
Credit: Jennifer Brett
The family in June announced the decision to move her to hospice care after months of being hospitalized, saying she was “in God’s hands.”
"Despite the great medical care at numerous facilities, Bobbi Kristina Brown's condition has continued to deteriorate," he aunt and legally appointed co-guardian Pat Houston said in a statement then. "We thank everyone for their support and prayers. She is in God's hands now."
Credit: Jennifer Brett
Credit: Jennifer Brett
She died at age 22.
“It is hard to say goodbye. On Sunday, July 26, Bobbi Kristina Brown made her transition peacefully. The family thanks everyone for their loving thoughts and prayers,” a statement said at the time of her passing. “As Bobbi Kristina would say: “The wind is behind me and the sun is in my face.”
Despite the show of unity among many family members, her funeral in Alpharetta became the site of a public family feud.
Credit: Jennifer Brett
Credit: Jennifer Brett
Bobbi Kristina was buried Aug. 3 next to her mother Whitney Houston's grave in New Jersey. It seemed she might never rest in peace, though.
Her court-appointed representative sued Gordon alleging physical violence and financial impropriety.
The suit was filed prior to Bobbi Kristina's death and amended afterward to include damning allegations. Nick's legal team lashed out swiftly and filed a motion to dismiss.
“The recent lawsuit against Nick is slanderous and meritless," a statement on his behalf said. "Nick has been heartbroken and destroyed over the loss of his love and it’s shameful that such baseless allegations have been presented publicly. Nick has engaged civil counsel and intends to defend the lawsuit vigorously and expose it for what it is: a fictitious assault against the person who loved Krissy most.”
Credit: Jennifer Brett
Credit: Jennifer Brett
The one thing everyone agrees on: the two were never legally married.
In October, a deposition in a lawsuit Bobbi Kristina faced prior to her death revealed claims of her rampant substance abuse. A friend and former roommate said Bobbi Kristina "smoked marijuana, she probably smoked crack often, and also did heroin."
The lawsuit, filed in June by Russell J. Eckerman of Marietta, says Bobbi Kristina was driving a 2005 Jeep Liberty that collided with his Ford Taurus at Holcomb Bridge Road and Martins Landing Drive in north Fulton County on Jan 27.
It's unclear what impact those sworn statements could have on legal or criminal action.
Credit: Jennifer Brett
Credit: Jennifer Brett
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Exactly what caused Bobbi Kristina to die remains a mystery. An initial autopsy found no obvious cause of death but the final report was sealed by court order.
No one has been charged in connection with her death although a woman who worked at the hospice where she died was arrested and faces charges in numerous Georgia counties.
North Carolina authorities last month arrested Taiwo Bolatito Sobamowo, 32, who worked at Peachtree Christian Hospice in Duluth at the time Bobbi Kristina was a patient there, acting on warrants from the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office.
Credit: Jennifer Brett
Credit: Jennifer Brett
“Sobamowo had provided fraudulent credentials under a different name to gain employment,” Forsyth officials said at the time.
Already facing similar charges in Duluth, in Gwinnett County, she now faces charges of Identity Fraud, Forgery 1st Degree, Theft by Deception, and Practicing as a Professional Registered Nurse without a License in Roswell.
In June, prior to Bobbi Kristina's death, Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard said his office would review the investigation stemming from the medical emergency that sent her to the hospital.
No charges have been filed.
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