Janelle Brown has her late son on her mind on the first anniversary of his death.
On March 5, 2024, the Sister Wives star’s 25-year-old son Garrison was found dead of an apparent suicide, and his loss still weighs heavily on his mom.
“I stay busy but in EVERY quiet moment you are first and foremost in my thoughts,” Janelle, 55, wrote in an Instagram post to mark the anniversary. “It’s been a year baby. We miss you so much. I miss you so much.”
Janelle, who shared Garrison with her ex-husband Kody Brown, offered a call to action for her fans and followers in her late son’s honor.
“I encourage everyone reading this to consider making a donation to your local animal shelter, rescue, or humane society. This cause was close to Garrison’s heart—he adopted all three of his cats from shelters.”
She also included the contact information for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at the end of her post.
When the news of Garrison’s sudden death hit, Janelle and Kody, 56, shared a joint statement on Instagram. “Kody and I are deeply saddened to announce the loss of our beautiful boy Robert Garrison Brown,” they wrote. “He was a bright spot in the lives of all who knew him. His loss will leave such a big hole in our lives that it takes our breath away. We ask that you please respect our privacy and join us in honoring his memory.”
Local police confirmed Garrison’s death to PEOPLE as they shared that they’d “responded to a report of a death inside a home” and discovered him “deceased” when they arrived. There was no “indication of foul play.”
Janelle opened up to PEOPLE about the loss several months later, as she said the family “had no idea” that he was struggling and he “didn’t ever express any kind of extreme sad feelings.”
She also shared that “substance abuse definitely played a role” before his death.
“I don’t know what we could have done different[ly],” she said. “We were always talking to him, we were loving him. All the things were there. It really just was something he could not… like the demon he couldn’t get on top of the battle. He couldn’t seem to get over. And it just wasn’t for lack of love or lack of anything.”
Speaking about his mental state before his death, Janelle said her son was “very funny, very upbeat” and “had a career path that he was excited about. He had a life, he had friends.”
“We actually were having conversations. He had all the resources that he could have needed,” she continued. “This was just such a shock. We just never expected this.”
