Former Playboy model found dead in her home

33-year-old Ashley Mattingly reportedly took her own life in Austin where she lived alone.

Austin Police Department was called to do a wellness check on former Playboy model Ashley Mattingly last Friday. Police discovered her unresponsive in the home where she lived alone with her dog. A suicide note written by Ashley was later found.

Ashley had moved to Austin two years ago and had since been living in her home alone. She was however, in regular communication with her friends. During the COVID-19 lockdown, Ashley's friends could not check in on her when she went silent. Since Wednesday last week, her friends claimed that the 33-year-old had not responded to calls and messages.

Worried about Ashley's safety, one of her friends called 911 to ask for a wellness check nearly three days after her last communication. Police entered the model's home to find her unresponsive. Her body was sent for a post-mortem.

Speaking to TMZ, Ashley's sister, Christy Mattingly and brother, Billy Mattingly, revealed that Ashley had been dead in her home since Wednesday. They also spoke about Ashley's battle with substance abuse. Ashley had been struggling to kick her drug and alcohol addiction in an effort to get her life back on track.

As she was living alone away from her family, Ashley had recently adopted a golden retriever puppy from a shelter. The dog named Miss Jean was found healthy and well by the police. Since Ashley's death was discovered, Miss Jean was taken in by Ashley's family.

Ashley was notably Playboy's Miss March in 2011. However, since then her life had been in a downward spiral. In 2012, Ashley was the victim of domestic abuse. Her former partner, Lane Garrison, was convicted of domestic battery after assaulting Ashley.

After breaking up with the actor, Ashley again made headlines when she was charged with a Driving Under the Influence (DUI) in 2016. An inebriated Ashley had rammed a golf cart into four parked cars.

According to her family, Ashley had been trying to move away from alcohol and substance abuse. Her journey towards a better future came to an end as she took her own life. While her family has confirmed that she has left behind a suicide note, the contents of it have not been made public.