Jennifer Eckhart, the former Fox Business producer and journalist who later became a prominent advocate for survivors of sexual assault, has died at 36.

Eckhart was found dead Saturday, September 19, inside her home in Hobe Sound, Florida, according to the Martin County Sheriff’s Office. Her mother discovered her and contacted authorities, prompting deputies, emergency personnel and investigators to respond to the residence.

The Martin County Sheriff’s Office has since determined that Eckhart died by suicide.

Sheriff John Budensiek addressed her death publicly on Monday after speculation began circulating online about the circumstances. He said investigators found no evidence indicating another person was involved and said the Medical Examiner’s Office had also ruled the death a suicide.

Eckhart’s death brings a tragic end to a life and career that became increasingly centered on survival, trauma and reinvention after she left Fox.

Eckhart Was Found at Her Hobe Sound Home

Authorities were called to Eckhart’s residence Saturday after a relative discovered her body.

Initial reports described a heavy law-enforcement presence outside the Hobe Sound property as deputies investigated the circumstances surrounding her death.

The Martin County Medical Examiner’s Office subsequently confirmed that Eckhart had died and was in its care.

As additional information emerged Monday, the Sheriff’s Office publicly addressed the case.

Budensiek said he ordinarily would not discuss a suicide publicly but decided to provide additional information because rumors had begun circulating suggesting Eckhart may have been killed.

The sheriff rejected that speculation.

“Based on the physical evidence in that house, it would be impossible for another human being to be in that space without leaving some type of a fingerprint, a shoeprint or some indication that another human was in there,” Budensiek said.

Authorities have not indicated that they are searching for a suspect.

She Spent Years at Fox Business

Before becoming nationally known through a high-profile legal battle, Eckhart spent years building a career in television and digital media.

She worked as an associate producer at Fox Business Network and was associated with Fox for approximately seven years. Her broader media résumé also included work connected to ESPN Radio and PBS before she moved into the next phase of her career.

But Eckhart became much more widely known in 2020 after making serious sexual-assault allegations against then-Fox News anchor Ed Henry.

Eckhart accused Henry of rape and other sexual misconduct, allegations Henry denied.

Henry maintained that their relationship was consensual.

Fox News fired Henry in July 2020 after receiving Eckhart’s complaint and conducting an outside investigation. The network said at the time that it had received no previous complaints about Henry’s alleged conduct before Eckhart came forward.

Eckhart Took Her Allegations to Court

Eckhart eventually filed a federal lawsuit against Henry and Fox News.

Her allegations against Henry were extensive and intensely personal. She maintained that she had been sexually assaulted while the two worked at the network and later described herself as having been “paralyzed by fear” during that period.

Henry denied sexually assaulting Eckhart and continued to maintain that their sexual relationship had been consensual.

The legal battle stretched across several years.

Eckhart also accused Fox News of failing to protect her and appropriately respond to Henry’s alleged conduct. Those claims against the network were ultimately dismissed, with a federal court concluding that Fox had not been shown to have prior knowledge of Henry’s alleged conduct toward Eckhart.

Her dispute with Henry eventually ended in a settlement before the allegations were decided by a jury.

Because the case was resolved through settlement, there was no trial verdict establishing the truth of Eckhart’s sexual-assault allegations. Henry continued to deny them.

She Tried to Turn Her Experience Into Advocacy

Following the years-long legal battle, Eckhart increasingly focused her public work on trauma, recovery and helping other survivors.

She launched REINVENTED With Jen Eckhart, a podcast centered on people who had endured significant personal or professional adversity and rebuilt their lives afterward.

The show featured guests from entertainment, business, sports and public life discussing difficult periods in their lives and how they attempted to move forward.

Her most recent publicly available episode appeared in March and featured former Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg.

Eckhart also founded The Reinvented Project, an organization created around supporting trauma survivors, including through animal-assisted therapy.

The work reflected a theme that had increasingly become central to Eckhart’s public identity.

She did not simply discuss what she said had happened to her at Fox. She attempted to build another chapter of her career around what came afterward.

Her Final Social-Media Message Looked Toward the Future

Eckhart had largely stepped away from regularly posting publicly in the months before her death.

Her most recent Instagram post came in June.

In it, she acknowledged that she had been absent from social media but expressed enthusiasm about returning and hinted that she had new projects underway.

She told followers she was “working on some exciting stuff” that she hoped to share.

The message has taken on a particularly painful significance following confirmation of her death.

There was no public indication in that post that it would become one of her final messages to followers.

Authorities Addressed Rumors About Her Death

Because Eckhart had previously been involved in a nationally publicized dispute involving a major television network and one of its former anchors, speculation about her death quickly began circulating online.

The Martin County Sheriff’s Office took the unusual step of addressing those rumors directly.

Budensiek said investigators had examined the physical evidence inside Eckhart’s home and found nothing indicating another person had participated in her death.

The sheriff said both his office and the Medical Examiner’s Office had ruled the death a suicide.

That official determination is important given Eckhart’s history.

Her previous legal allegations against Henry should not be used as evidence to suggest a connection to her death when authorities say they found no indication of foul play.

Jennifer Eckhart Was 36

Eckhart was only 36 when she died.

Her career had already taken several dramatically different turns: from television producer, to plaintiff in one of the most widely covered media-industry sexual-misconduct lawsuits of the period, to podcaster and survivor advocate.

In the years following her departure from Fox, she increasingly framed that next phase around the concept of reinvention.

Now, the people who followed her work are confronting news that arrived suddenly over the weekend.

Jennifer Eckhart was found dead September 19 at her Hobe Sound home. Authorities have ruled her death a suicide and said they found no evidence that another person was involved.

She was 36.

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is available in the United States by calling or texting 988.