“Storage Wars” star Rene Nezhoda believes cyberbullying may have played a part in the tragic death of castmate Darrell Sheets.
“He had this guy, like, really, really tormenting him lately and cyberbullying [him],” Nezhoda said in an Instagram video shared shortly after news broke of Sheets’ death Wednesday at age 67.
“Darrell has been posting a lot about the guy that’s been cyberbullying him and tormenting him, and I really hope [law enforcement] look into that guy and it’s just not a pass,” he added.
Sergeant Kyle Ridgway, public information officer for the Lake Havasu City Police Department, told Page Six Wednesday, “We are aware of these cyberbullying accusations and that is a part of the active investigation.”
“Guys, just because you watch us on television doesn’t mean you know us,” Nezhoda told his followers in his video. “It doesn’t mean you know what we’re about.”
The reality star added in his message to fans that nothing entitles someone to bully someone else.
“As a matter of fact,” he said, “if you have somebody in your life that thinks it’s funny to cyberbully other people … slap them in the back of the head.”
“Make them become a better human being, because you never know what demons somebody faces and what they go through and what you might push them through,” he continued, urging fans to “be better.”
Elsewhere in his video, Nezhoda spoke of his friendship with Sheets — which he said many fans may not have seen on the A&E series.
“I know a lot of you guys think we hated each other because we competed a lot on the show and, you know, we had our moments,” he explained. “We had our run-ins, but that’s because we were both competitors, right?”
“Deep down, me and Darrell were friends,” he continued. “We talked every now and then. He’s a very hard worker that cared more than anyone I’ve probably ever met about their family.”
According to a press release from the Lake Havasu City Police Department obtained by Page Six, Sheets died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, and his body was found at his home.
“The male was pronounced deceased on scene, and the Lake Havasu City Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Unit was notified and responded to the scene to assume the investigation,” the release read.
The press release noted that Sheets’ family had been notified, and his body was turned over to the Mohave County Medical Examiner’s Office for further investigation.
Sheets was a fan-favorite cast member on “Storage Wars,” a show which follows professional buyers who bid on unknown contents found in storage units that were either abandoned or not paid for.
He was featured in 163 episodes of the series between 2010 and 2023 and earned the nickname “The Gambler” over the years due to his penchant to overbid for units on gut instinct.
In the years following his time on “Storage Wars,” Sheets retired to Arizona and ran the antique shop Havasu Show Me Your Junk up to the time of his death.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call or text the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988.
