Kimberly Fattorini Died After a Night of Partying — Texts From That Evening Have More to Say

One aspect of the digital age that is both comforting and jarring is the existence of social media long after a person passes. Facebook allows a loved one to manage a deceased person's profile by memorializing it, but the images and statuses remain active as if the decedent could return at any moment to post an update. Instagram, X, and TikTok do not have similar features, which makes those accounts all the more haunting.

In July 2017, a Playboy casting associate and part-time model named Kimberly Fattorini suddenly died. While her Instagram profile is private, her X account shows posts made roughly a month before she died. It's strange to think that she was sharing aspects of her life while only having mere weeks to live. The circumstances surrounding her death are strange and warranted a brief but fruitless investigation from police. What happened to her? Here's what we know.

Fattorini's death was ruled an accident by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) but according to a wrongful death suit filed by her parents, there could be more to the story. In the lawsuit, obtained by Elle, alleged details of the night Fattorini died certainly bring up more questions than answers. In the weeks leading up to her passing, Fattorini was going through a lot, including the end of a seven-year relationship.

In 2009, Fattorini graduated from Whittier College with degrees in business administration and economics. She quickly landed her dream job at Playboy and was hoping to someday end up in the magazine as a centerfold. Those goals barely seemed attainable as by October 2016, the magazine was struggling following the #MeToo movement and the declining health of its founder, Hugh Hefner. It didn't help that Fattorini turned 30 that year.

After her breakup, Fattorini moved in with a friend and started partying more, which included doing drugs. She also started spending time with a club promoter named Eli Wehbe who loved plying folks with anything that would keep the party going. On the night she died, Fattorini was invited by Wehbe to the grand opening of The Highlight Room which she attended with her friend Monica Maass. Hours later, she overdosed and was found dead in Maass's apartment.

There are conflicting stories about the specifics of the night Fattorini died, but a few facts are indisputable. The coroner who examined her body said that while there were high levels of GHB in Fattorini’s blood, her death was a result of cocaine, alcohol, and GHB in Fattorini's system. Maass confirmed the two did cocaine earlier in the evening, but texts found on Fattorini's phone allegedly explain where the GHB might have come from.

After leaving the club, Fattorini, Maass, and a third woman continued to party at Wehbe's place. At some point, Wehbe texted a friend and described one of the women as "weak" and said he was "putting her to sleep." Wehbe also invited NFL linebacker Shawne Merriman over. He allegedly showed up between 8:30 and 9 a.m. with a bottle filled with liquid. Soon after, Fattorini texted Wehbe, "But Your friend just poor’d half G [GBH] in my drink."

Fattorini's texts grew more nonsensical before she, Maass, Merriman, and another woman ended up at Maass's place around 10:00 a.m. A few hours later, Fattorini was found dead on the living floor of her friend's apartment. Per the lawsuit, Fattorini's pants were "unzipped and unbuttoned," but a rape exam was never conducted. The coroner said this was due to the fact that a tampon in Fattorini's vagina was "appropriately positioned."

No one was ever formally charged in connection with Fattorini's death. In a since-deleted statement on his website, Wehbe wrote, "I want to make it very clear that I did not give any illegal substances to Kim." Per his Instagram, Wehbe has become an avid runner and fitness influencer. Merriman went on start an MMA league called Lights Out Xtreme Fighting.