Influencer Sara Gilson’s husband, Jeremiah “Shawn” Duffey, allegedly attempted to silence the minor he was accused of molesting by paying her money, according to a protective order petition filed weeks before he reportedly murdered Gilson and killed himself.
Us confirmed on Monday, July 27, that the order was filed against Duffey on June 10, by a mother in Oklahoma who alleged Duffey had inappropriately touched her 15-year-old daughter at basketball practice.
According to the filing, Duffey was accused of “child abuse” after a fellow basketball coach “observed through a window” that Duffey was “kissing and fondling” the minor on June 9 while taking private meetings with each player to ask about their “basketball goals.”
The other coach called the child’s mother, who claimed in the filing that her daughter later “confided” in her that Duffey had been “sending her inappropriate messages” prior to the alleged office incident.
In her petition, the mother further alleged that “once during an out of town tournament, when the whole team including myself were staying at the same hotel, [Duffey] got her [daughter] to come to his room [and] he touched her inappropriately.”
“[The alleged victim] has also said that he has been giving her money to keep her quiet,” the mother claimed in the docs.
The Owasso Police Department (OPD) issued a statement on Monday regarding the sex crime report, confirming that an incident occurred one hour before the parent and juvenile came to Owasso Police Headquarters on June 9 at approximately 8:12 p.m.
“Upon further investigation, it was discovered that a basketball coach, later identified as Jeremiah Shawn Duffey, a coach of a traveling, competitive basketball team, had inappropriately touched a juvenile female member of the team he was coaching, inside the school during an event that evening,” police captain Nick Boatman told Us in a statement.
The statement noted, “Similar conduct by this coach towards this particular juvenile player was reported to have occurred over an extended period of time, in multiple law enforcement jurisdictions, across multiple states prior to this incident.”
Police confirmed that Duffey “fled the scene” after the parent reported the alleged incident to authorities and had “not been seen by Owasso Police since.”
The statement explained that Duffey was a member of the Osage Indian Tribe of Oklahoma and that the reported incident “occurred in Indian Country.”
“This incident was considered a ‘Major Crime’ under the Federal Major Crimes Act (in Indian Country) the report,” authorities added. “Listing the crime of Lewd Molestation of a Minor, was sent to the US Attorney’s Office for review, ending the jurisdiction of the Owasso Police Department over this reported incident.”
Police noted that after Gilson was contacted about Duffey’s alleged sexual misconduct with a minor, she was “provided information” on how to seek an emergency protective order against him, which she filed on June 10. (She was granted the order prior to her death.)
One month later, Gilson shared a video via TikTok — where she had 79,000 followers — claiming Duffey was a “pedophile.”
In the clip, uploaded on July 11, she called Duffey her “soon-to-be ex-husband,” seemingly hinting at the June incident he was being investigated for.
Weeks later, police responded to a reported domestic violence incident at Gilson and Duffey’s home on Thursday, July 23, following a 911 call where dispatchers heard a woman screaming and “what sounded to be a gunshot,” per the department’s statement.
“A few moments later, the E911 Center received another 911 call from a juvenile caller advising his step-father had shot his mother,” police recalled in the statement. “The juvenile caller was calling from a nearby neighbor’s home.”
Once on scene, officers found two deceased individuals who were later identified as Gilson and Duffey. (Gilson, 43, is survived by her two children from a previous relationship.)
“Investigators continue to work this investigation, although they advised it appeared to be a murder/suicide event,” the police said, noting that the investigation is ongoing.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org. If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support. If you or someone you know is experiencing child abuse, call or text Child Help Hotline at 1-800-422-4453.
