A “single white pill” discovered near Shirley Raines’ pillow is one of the few concrete details investigators have publicly shared as they work to determine what caused the death of the influencer known to millions as Ms. Shirley.
According to a Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department report obtained by People, officers conducting a welfare check found Raines unresponsive inside her Henderson, Nevada, home on Tuesday, January 27.
The report notes a finished plate of food on the bed and “a single white pill of some sort” located next to her pillow. Police were told Raines had been taking medication, though the name of the prescription was redacted in the document.
Raines previously disclosed that she took 20 milligrams of Prozac daily to treat panic disorder. It remains unclear whether that medication was still part of her routine at the time of her death, and authorities have not indicated whether the pill found at the scene is connected. The Clark County Coroner’s Office has confirmed that an autopsy is underway.
Officers were dispatched to the home around 4:43 p.m. after Raines’ daughter, Rashawn Williams, requested a welfare check. Williams told police her mother had not answered her phone or the door all day, though she could hear the phone ringing inside the house.
Officers ultimately forced entry and found Raines on the floor next to her upstairs bed. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Raines’ twin sister, Sheila, later said that Williams waited outside the home for hours attempting to get a response, even throwing rocks at the window. Sheila added that there were “no visible signs” on Raines’ body that would immediately explain her death.
Police noted that Raines’ son was the last family member to communicate with her, with their final contact occurring in the early afternoon of January 23.
“It is with profound sorrow and heavy hearts that Beauty 2 The Streetz announces the passing of our beloved CEO and founder, Shirley Raines,” the organization wrote. “This loss is devastating to the entire Beauty 2 The Streetz team, the communities we serve, and the countless individuals whose lives were forever changed by Ms. Shirley’s love, generosity, and selfless service.”
Shirley Raines was a Compton native, a mother of six, and the founder of Beauty 2 The Streetz, a nonprofit that provides food, hygiene supplies, and personal care services to unhoused communities, particularly in Los Angeles’ Skid Row. Her work gained widespread attention through social media, where she documented outreach efforts and built a following of millions.
In a 2020 interview, Raines explained that her mission went beyond makeovers or material aid. “Just because they’re without a home does not mean they’re without love,” she said. “They are homeless, but a lot of them are not jobless, kidless, phoneless, or familyless.”