Gary Coleman’s ex-wife has failed a voluntary lie detector test about the circumstances surrounding his death. The polygraph examination was conducted as part of an ongoing investigation into the beloved child star’s mysterious passing.
The late Diff’rent Strokes actor – who died from an intracranial hemorrhage at the age of 42 after falling at home – married Shannon Price in 2007 but they divorced the following year, though she continued living together and in May 2010, she claimed she had found Gary in a pool of blood following his fall. Coleman had struggled with health issues throughout his adult life due to a kidney condition that affected his growth.
The actor’s death was ruled accidental and Shannon was never charged with a crime, but she has faced questions over her involvement with Gary’s passing, and a 911 recording of her emergency call revealed her refusing to listen to the operator’s instructions to help. The emergency call became a crucial piece of evidence in the investigation.
“I literally, my whole life, have had the odds working against me,” Shannon said speaking in upcoming series Lie Detector: Truth or Deception, People magazine reports. “And so I’m hoping, I’m really hoping, for a good outcome. Not everyone is perfect at taking a polygraph test, but I have a glimmer of hope that this will work out in my favour, and people will be like, okay, you know what? She’s just a normal girl that had an unfortunate situation happen.” Polygraph tests are commonly used in criminal investigations to assess truthfulness.
Shannon – who had Gary removed from life support after two days in a medically-induced coma following his fall – admitted she was a “little nervous” to hear the results of the “stressful” polygraph test, which was administered by former FBI agent George Olivo. The examiner has extensive experience conducting polygraph examinations for federal investigations.
“All three independent results are the same,” the examiner explained after he evaluated the results, then ran the data through a computer system before getting another analysis from a fellow retired FBI tester.
Shannon was first asked if she had ever struck Gary during their relationship, and though she said no, the findings were inconclusive. Domestic violence remains a significant concern in relationships involving vulnerable individuals.
“I’m not going to say that you passed that test, because you didn’t,” George said.
“I would never hurt him in that manner or that sense, because his life was so fragile,” Shannon insisted. “Daily life was a struggle for him, and I would never want to hurt him.” Coleman had required ongoing medical care due to his chronic kidney disease.
She then received another inconclusive result when she denied having intentionally withheld proper aid from her former spouse after his fall. Emergency medical response protocols emphasize the importance of immediate assistance during medical crises.
“That, statistically, raises a little bit of an eyebrow,” the examiner said. “Then again, you’re the same person sitting there who’s still nervous and who’s still a bit distracted. But here’s the way I look at it, this question having to do with you doing everything that you could possibly do for Gary when he fell, when you called 911, is an issue that you’ve had in your mind for 14 years, and it’s still not resolved in your mind.”
“As far as rendering aid, I could have helped him a little bit more,” Shannon admitted. “I will say, the operator could have helped as well a little bit by asking me more specific questions.”
“Forget the 911 operator, you were there. Little bit of tough love now. You’re not the victim here, he’s the victim,” George said.
Finally, Shannon “failed the exam” when asked directly if she physically caused Gary‘s fall, with the lie detector finding “deception indicated” when she said no. This type of result typically indicates physiological stress responses that polygraph machines are designed to detect.
“There’s two things I know for sure, Shannon,” George said. “One, you were not completely honest with me yesterday during this polygraph section. And two, the other thing I know that’s 100% certain, is that there is more to this story that hasn’t been told. The body never lies. The body always tells the truth. And your body on that lie detector test spoke loud and clear, there’s something that caused you to fail this test… You say you have nothing to hide. I say you know exactly why you failed this test. Sadly, my professional opinion is the truth is not on your side today.”
“I’m not surprised” by the results because they relied on “a machine,” Shannon insisted. “I know where I’m at. I’m at peace. There is a reason I am not in prison. There is a legit reason for that. It’s because they did a thorough investigation.”
