Cheslie Kryst parents: Family life explored as former Miss USA dies aged 30 

Former Miss USA Cheslie Kryst died by suicide after jumping off a skyscraper in New York on January 30.

The deceased 30-year-old was a lawyer and an entertainment correspondent for news site ExtraTV. She was also the Miss USA pageant winner in 2019. Kryst used her resources to voice her opinions about social and criminal justice reform.

As per Daily Mail, Kryst resided in an apartment on the ninth floor of a building based in West 42nd Street in Manhattan. As per sources, she jumped from the 29th floor of the high-rise at around 7:15 AM and was found dead on the snow-covered sidewalk.

Sources say she jumped from an open area of the building after she was last seen on the 29th-floor terrace.

Upon searching, police found a note at her house reading that she wanted to leave everything to her mother, who was also a former pageant winner. So far, no reason has been found behind her actions in the note discovered.

In a statement obtained by media outlet CNN, Cheslie Kryst's family expressed their grief:

"In devastation and great sorrow, we share the passing of our beloved Cheslie. Her great light was one that inspired others around the world with her beauty and strength. She cared, she loved, she laughed and she shined."

The news of Kryst's death comes hours after she posted a selfie on her Instagram handle wishing her followers rest and peace.

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Cheslie Kryst's mother is an HR professional

Born in 1991, Cheslie Kryst was born to Rodney A. Kryst and April Simpkins. She is the second of four children the duo share - Page Kryst, Asa Kryst and Chandler Kryst.

Not much information is available on Kryst's father, but her mother Simpkins has three decades of executive-level experience in Human Resources and is also a dually qualified HR professional.

She is the Chief Human Resource Officer for TotalHR, a company that provides human resources solutions to small and mid-sized businesses.

Over the course of her career, she has assisted over 1000 business owners in developing and enhancing their human capital.

In recognition of her business skills, Simpkins has won several awards and distinctions. These include the Mecklenburg Times' 50 Most Influential Women's Award in 2016, the Business Leader Magazine's Movers & Shaker Award, the York County Regional Chamber's 2018 Fort Mill/Tega Cay Business Person of the Year Award, and the Charlotte Business Journal's 2020 Women In Business Achievement Award.

As for Cheslie Kryst, she was born in Jackson, Michigan. Kryst grew up in Charlotte and graduated from the University of South Carolina.

She obtained her law degree from Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, where she was active in a variety of organizations, including the National Black Law Students Association, according to her LinkedIn profile.

After passing the bar examination, she worked at Poyner-Spruill LLP in Charlotte as an associate attorney in the firm's civil litigation department between September 2017 and May 2019. She worked pro bono to reduce sentences for inmates.