Melanie Rauscher, who starred in the Discovery Channel reality show Naked and Afraid, has died. She was 35.
The former contestant had been dog-sitting at a home in Prescott, AZ while the homeowners were away on vacation and when they returned on July 17, they found her deceased on a bed in a guest room, a rep for the Prescott Police Department told TMZ on July 23.
The outlet reported that several cans of compressed air, often used to clean computers, were found near Rauscher’s body and that the dog was unharmed. Police said there were no obvious signs of foul play and that no suicide note or drug paraphernalia was found.
An obituary confirmed Rauscher “passed away suddenly on Sunday, July 17.” It states the former Naked and Afraid star was born and raised in Philadelphia, attended Old Dominion University in Virginia, and worked at Prescott VA Medical Center at the time of her passing. Rauscher also “served honorably in the U.S. Navy aboard the U.S.S. Theodore Roosevelt CVN-17 during the Iraq War.
Rauscher is survived by her parents, three sisters, a niece and nephew, and other extended family members. A visitation is scheduled to take place in Sun City West, Ariz. later this week, while a celebration of her life is being planned for October in Philadelphia.
