Vaccine whistleblower Brandy Vaughan, a former sales executive for the pharmaceutical company Merck and the founder of learntherisk.org, a website dedicated to educating people on the risks associated with vaccines, was found dead in her home beside her nine-year-old son on December 8.

On Monday, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office announced an investigation into the circumstances surrounding her death.

Vaughan is reported to have died of “gallbladder complications,” although the source of the report has not been cited, nor has it shared the specific cause of the complications (such as a gallbladder rupture).

Soon after learning of her death, a friend of Vaughn’s, Erin Elizabeth, shared screenshots of a Facebook post Vaughan had written in December of 2019, in which she assured readers that she was not suicidal and did not take any drugs that would cause her to die suddenly.

“The post I wish I didn’t have to write…. But given certain tragedies over the last couple of years, I feel it’s absolutely necessary to post these ten facts… please screenshot this for the record,” wrote Vaughan.

“I have a huge mission in this life. Even when they make it very difficult and scary, I would NEVER take my own life. Period,” she continued.

Referring to her son, Vaughan wrote, “Bastien means everything to me and I would NEVER leave him. Period. She added that she hadn’t taken pharmaceuticals for ten years. “In other words, I’m not on anything that could kill me unexpectedly or suddenly,” she wrote.

“If something were to happen to me, it’s foul play and you know exactly who and why — given my work and mission in this life,” she continued.