The other girl featured in the documentary, Audrie Pott, 15, died by suicide days after she said three boys sexually assaulted her in California in 2012.
Coleman's suicide was confirmed on Tuesday by her mother, Melinda, who said: "She never recovered from what those boys did to her and it's just not fair."
My daughter Catherine Daisy Coleman committed suicide tonight. If you saw crazy
/ messages and posts it was because I...
Posted by Melinda Moeller Coleman on Tuesday, 4 August 2020
Her death has revived public anger over the handling of Coleman's case and renewed debate over how teenage rape cases are treated by authorities.
Scott Berkowitz, president of RAINN, America's largest anti-sexual assault group, told The Telegraph: "Daisy, her story, and her advocacy meant so much to advocates and survivors of sexual violence of all ages - but especially to high school students who saw their own stories reflected in hers."
American actress Olivia Munn said the news was "absolutely heartbreaking". "We have to do more to take care of the young girls in our society," she tweeted.
Corrine Fisher, a podcast host who interviewed Coleman, said: "She was bullied non-stop for telling her story. This is why survivors don't always come forward."
In 2012, Coleman alleged she was plied with alcohol and raped by Barnett, 17, at a house party in their Missouri hometown. Her mother said she found her daughter outside the next morning, wearing just a T-shirt and joggers in sub-zero temperatures.
Barnett, who claimed he had consensual sex with Coleman, was charged with felony sexual assault. But the charge was later dropped by the county prosecutor, Robert Rice, who determined there was not enough evidence to pursue the case.
Coleman's family claimed the decision was driven by political pressure, since Barnett's grandfather was a prominent politician in Missouri.
Rice said he dropped the charge because the Colemans stopped co-operating with his investigation. Barnett eventually pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of child endangerment with a suspended sentence after a review of the case.
The anger around Coleman's death has also prompted renewed backlash against the then county sheriff, Darren White.
White was voted out of office in 2016 shortly after appearing in the Netflix documentary in which he said: "girls have as much culpability in this world as boys do".
White is running for the sheriff's position again this November, but a public campaign to block his election has already begun.
In an editorial this week, the Kansas City Star, the local paper credited with bringing national attention to the case, said: "[Coleman's] death highlights the many ways the criminal justice system too often fails victims of sexual assault... In Daisy's case, too many grown-ups turned a blind eye for far too long."
If you're in danger now:
• Phone the police on 111 or ask neighbours of friends to ring for you.
• Run outside and head for where there are other people.
• Scream for help so that your neighbours can hear you.
• Take the children with you.
• Don't stop to get anything else.
• If you are being abused, remember it's not your fault. Violence is never okay
Where to go for help or more information:
• Women's Refuge: Free national crisis line operates 24/7 - 0800 refuge or 0800 733 843 www.womensrefuge.org.nz
• Shine, free national helpline 9am- 11pm every day - 0508 744 633 www.2shine.org.nz
• It's Not Ok: Information line 0800 456 450 www.areyouok.org.nz
• Shakti: Providing specialist cultural services for African, Asian and Middle Eastern women and their children. Crisis line 24/7 0800 742 584
• Ministry of Justice: www.justice.govt.nz/family-justice/domestic-violence
• National Network of Stopping Violence: www.nnsvs.org.nz
• White Ribbon: Aiming to eliminate men's violence towards women, focusing this year on sexual violence and the issue of consent. www.whiteribbon.org.nz
How to hide your visit
If you are reading this information on the Heral website and you're worried that someone using the same computer will find out what you've been looking at, you can follow the steps at the link here to hide your visit. Each of the websites above also have a section that outlines this process.
