DARTMOUTH, MASSACHUSETTS: Flordan "Flo" Bazile, the 21-year-old record-breaking athlete from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, was found dead in a Massachusetts river on Tuesday, January 16.
Despite his athletic achievements, Bazile struggled privately with depression, a battle he revealed in a heart-wrenching farewell on social media.
Flordan Bazile wrote his final post revealing his silent struggle with depression
Famously known as "Flo," had made a significant mark at UMass Dartmouth, breaking the college's 100-meter sprint record and earning accolades as the 2024 Little East Conference Track Athlete and Track Rookie Athlete of the Week.
In his final Instagram post, scheduled to go live after his passing, Bazile expressed "First things first, I am sorry I am sorry to all my loved ones, my friends, anyone whose life I was in that is affected by this. I'm a hypocrite and a coward for taking the easy way it[sic]."
Despite being known as the "happy, smiley" guy, he confessed, "The past few years of my life have been tough mentally. I had so many loving people around me yet I felt so alone. I am a peoples person that didn't like myself. I am genuinely just an unhappy person."
Friends and family were left grappling with the realization that behind the mask of success and cheerfulness, Bazile was fighting a silent battle with clinical depression.
Flordan Bazile's final moments before his tragic death
Bazile's remains were discovered approximately 20 feet from the eastern bank of the river at approximately 4:45 pm on Tuesday, January 16, according to Massachusetts State Police.
The New Bedford native was located submerged in about 15 feet of water just north of the Coggeshall Street Bridge, after extensive water and ground searches conducted by law enforcement.
Before being officially reported missing, Bazile was observed leaving an on-campus dormitory in the early hours of the morning. Prosecutors from the Bristol County District Attorney's Office subsequently affirmed the identity and officially categorized it as a suicide, as per Daily Mail.
