Stanford soccer goalie Katie Meyer took her own life, says Medical Examiner Officer.
The popular 22-year-old was found dead in her dorm room with ‘self-inflicted wounds’ just days after complaining of knee pain from her February 1 surgery.
The Santa Clara County Medical Examiner Officer said on Thursday her ‘death was determined to be self-inflicted.’
‘We are exceedingly saddened to hear about the death of Katie Meyer, a beloved, talented, and respected Stanford student, athlete and Santa Clara County resident,’ it said.
‘The County of Santa Clara Medical Examiner-Coroner is investigating Kathryn Meyer’s death. There is no indication of foul play, and Meyer’s death was determined to be self-inflicted.’
Her death comes days after she complained of pain after knee surgery.
The Santa Clara County Medical Examiner Officer said on Thursday that 22-year-old Katie Meyer’s ‘death was determined to be self-inflicted’
Meyer’s was the goalkeeper for the Stanford women’s soccer team
In a video explaining a typical Friday in the life of a Stanford soccer goalie, Katie Meyer said she took practice easy that morning ‘because my knee is very swollen.’
She had previously posted on February 1 that she was undergoing surgery on her right knee, sharing videos of her scrolling through TikTok beforehand and telling her thousands of followers that when she came out of surgery the nurses were laughing and said she ‘was the most fun patient coming off of anesthesia ever.’
‘Apparently I was p*ssed that my anesthesiologist left because I wanted to tell him he was the man #funtimes,’ she captioned the video.
Meyer, a senior majoring in international relations and minoring in history at the school, also posted photos to of her in crutches following the surgery, as she went to get a coffee and played with Star Wars Legos.
‘For context, I finally got a quick surgery to address pain I’ve been having for about a year,’ she tweeted. ‘I have a short, short (8 to 10 week) recovery till I’m fully back, but it is so worth feeling 100 per cent’
‘Health is wealth, and I’m in great spirits and excited to be caring for my body.’
Things seemed to be going well after that, as she shared photos from practices and spoke about how she was getting coffee with friends on Friday before going to a sorority dinner.
But on Tuesday morning, Meyer was found dead in her dorm room.
Katie Meyer, 22, had shared pictures of her last month after she underwent knee surgery. She was found dead in her dorm room on Tuesday morning
Things seemed to be going well after the surgery, with Meyer posting a video of her plans on Friday. But in it, she mentioned that her knee was still swollen
She had shared photos of herself with her father Steve in the days leading up to her death, with their closeness evident in the moving shots.
Stanford officials confirmed her death in a statement on Wednesday, writing: ‘We will grieve this loss together, and will be here for each other.’
Meyer, of Newbury Park, California, earned national fame in 2019 after she made two critical saves to help the Cardinals win its third NCAA championship.
Her reaction to making the second save – where she looked directly into ESPN’s camera and pantomimed locking her mouth shut and throwing away the key went viral with 5,900 likes.
She retweeted the video at the time, hitting back at those who left her mean comments, writing that there were ‘some tough replies under this one.
‘But if you told my nine-year-old self that ESPNFC would show a save she made? I think she’d find a way to get over a few mean comments.
‘Also the comments aren’t even that creative,’ Meyer added.
Meyer grew up playing the sport she loved, participating in club soccer as a child. She was even considered as an alternate for the U17 World Cup in 2016.
Over the course of her four years at Stanford, Meyer had twice been the women’s soccer team captain and had twice made it to the Pacific-12 Conference’s honor roll, according to Mercury News.
In total, Meyer played in 50 games across three seasons, producing 20 shutouts and winning 34 matches while only allowing 35 goals.
Her goaltending was one of the main reasons Stanford was able to clench the national championship in 2019, when the team went undefeated with 16 starts and 11 shutouts.
Meyer, of Newbury Park, California , earned national fame in 2019 after she made two critical saves to help the Cardinals win its third NCAA championship (pictured: playing for Stanford)
On Wednesday, said the family was ‘broken-hearted’ and was not ready to talk, but directed those who wanted to donate to a GoFundMe page that since raised almost a $140,000 as of earlier Friday morning
Meyer shared a photograph of her with her father Steve and their pet dog shortly before her sudden death
She won an immense amount of awards, including ‘the 2018-2019 PAC12 Championship, the NCAA National Championship in 2019, two College Cup appearances and more during her soccer career
She won an immense amount of awards, including ‘the 2018-2019 PAC12 Championship, the NCAA National Championship in 2019, two College Cup appearances, 2019 College Cup All-Tournament Team, 2019 United Coaches West Region Third Team, 2019, 2020-2021 two-time PAC12 fall academic honor roll and 2021 CoSIDA academic All-District 8,’ among others.
Katie also participated in national teams in Italy and the Netherlands, as well as camps across the world, according to a GoFundMe set up to pay for her funeral expenses.
‘To read this long list of extraordinary accomplishments cannot even begin to describe the amazing daughter, sister, friend and teammate that Katie was,’ it reads.
‘To know Katie was to love Katie. She was larger than life, an incredibly bright shining light on and off the soccer field and for our community. She was a leader in everything she pursued.’
Following the announcement of her death, Meyer’s sister Sam Perez posted on her Instagram Stories honoring her sister.
‘There are no words,’ Perez wrote on Instagram. ‘Thank you for all the kindness extended to my family. I’m not ready to post anything big yet. We are broken-hearted and love Kat so much.’
She also linked to a GoFundMe for Meyer’s funeral expenses, which as of early Friday morning had raised nearly $140,000 for the cause.
If you or someone you love if experiencing suicidal thoughts or actions, call the National Suicide Hotlines number toll-free at 1-800-273-8255.
