TORONTO — The teen daughter of the stars of the documentary The Queen of Versailles was hooked on prescription medication and being bullied via text messages when she died last Saturday.
According to a statement from a lawyer representing David and Jackie Siegel, Victoria Siegel was dependent on medication to treat seizures and had recently completed rehab “to address this problem.”
David and Jackie Siegel were attending a wedding in Utah when a housekeeper found Victoria unresponsive in the family’s Orlando home. The couple’s second-oldest child was pronounced dead at hospital. She was 18.
An official cause of death has not been determined but family lawyer Michael Marder said “it is likely that Victoria ingested one or more drugs prior to her death.”
The statement, posted on Jackie’s Facebook page, added: “We cannot determine at this time whether or not the drugs she took were in fact prescribed medication, something else, or where and how these drugs may have been obtained.”
BELOW: Jenny Sung reports on the death of Victoria Siegel
The family also alleged that an ex-girlfriend of Victoria’s boyfriend used his phone to send Victoria “cruel and hateful messages” on the morning of her death.
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“These messages were clearly intended to hurt Victoria and, while we cannot be sure, may have affected her emotional state at a time when she was emotionally vulnerable.”
The Siegels said they are “devastated and heartbroken” by Victoria’s death and made repeated requests for privacy. Still, they announced they will create a foundation in their daughter’s name to help “troubled teens with addiction issues.”
“Victoria’s passing cannot be in vain and if nothing else the Siegels want to do whatever they can to spare other families from the pain and suffering they are going through now,” read a statement from Marder.
At Victoria’s memorial service on Tuesday, Jackie raised eyebrows when she started taking photos or video as the casket was loaded into a hearse.
The 49-year-old, who wore a low-cut black lace dress, was also spotted talking on her mobile phone shortly after arriving at St. Luke’s Methodist Church in Orlando.
As her daughter’s casket was being taken out of the church, Siegel took photos or video while holding a beverage in her left hand.
“Everyone has their own way of grieving, but this seems a little strange,” opined the New York Post.
US Weekly called it “an unusual portrait of grief.” Defamer commented: “There are many ways to grieve a traumatic loss; let each individual process death in her own way.”
On Thursday, Marder issued a statement in which he pointed out that “people deal with grief differently.”
He explained: “Mrs. Siegel is grieving as we all are. I can tell you that she has cried … a lot … and has been on an emotional roller coaster. There is no authoritative manual that tells us how to grieve.”
In addition to being the subjects of The Queen of Versailles — which chronicled their plans to build one of the most expensive single family homes in the U.S. — David and Jackie appeared this month in an episode of Wife Swap.
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