Former Democratic Colorado Rep. Yadira Caraveo reportedly attempted to take her own life twice in 2024 while serving in Congress and campaigning for reelection.
The apparent suicide attempts, in February and April, involved high doses of prescription medication that prompted emergency responses to her home and congressional office, according to The Colorado Sun. Both events were previously undisclosed to the public and only came to light as Caraveo announced a new bid for Congress this year.
Emergency records reviewed by the outlet show that police responded to Caraveo’s Thornton residence on Feb. 8, 2024, after aides called 911 and reported suicidal behavior. Caraveo allegedly told officers she had taken 19 sleeping pills with alcohol, saying it would “put me to sleep for a while.” She was placed on a 72-hour mental health hold and transported to St. Anthony North Hospital for evaluation.
WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 25: U.S. Rep. Yadira Caraveo (D-CO) speaks at a press conference following a House Democratic Caucus meeting at the U.S. Capitol Building on January 25, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
In a separate incident on April 6, 2024, Caraveo was found unresponsive at her Northglenn congressional office after reportedly taking about 20 lorazepam pills. Lorazepam is a sedative used to treat anxiety. According to emergency responder audio obtained by The Colorado Sun, the call was treated as a potential overdose. Caraveo had been scheduled to meet with Latino leaders that morning and launch her campaign headquarters later that day. She was instead taken by ambulance to the hospital, and the campaign event proceeded without her.
Despite the gravity of both episodes, Caraveo’s office attempted to block publication of the February incident with a cease-and-desist letter sent the day before the election, The Colorado Sun reported. After her loss in November, the outlet paused its reporting until Caraveo re-entered public life with a new campaign. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Trump Admin ‘Reviewing’ Federal Suicide Hotline That Connects Minors With Adult Trans Activists)
WASHINGTON, DC – NOVEMBER 18: Rep.-Elect Yadira Caraveo (D-CO) speaks at a Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) event welcoming new Latino members to Congress at the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) on November 18, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Speaking anonymously, former staffers said they were compelled to come forward after Caraveo downplayed the severity of the events in a recent Colorado Public Radio interview. In that appearance, Caraveo described the February incident as a misunderstanding of a text message and said she took a dose of sleeping pills “just shy of” requiring ICU care. She further claimed the April overdose was a side effect of medication for a foot injury.
“There was one instance in which I took my usual sleeping pills, and they didn’t work. And so I took a couple of more and they didn’t work, and I took a couple of more and I was still awake and anxious,” Caraveo said. “I remember going online and — ever the doctor — looking up the dose that would land me in the intensive care unit and then taking just shy of that.”
“I had been talking to a staffer at the time about what my schedule was the following day. And I had texted her, ‘If I don’t wake up tomorrow, tell everybody that I’m sorry.’ And so she ended up calling 9-1-1 and an ambulance came to my house.”
Medical documents and responder reports contradict elements of that account, as sources confirmed to the outlet that the overdose involved lorazepam. Sheriff Gene Claps, who endorsed Caraveo and appeared in her campaign ads, was present at the office in a personal capacity that day but said he only arrived on the scene after emergency personnel were already present.
The Northglenn Police Department and Adams County Sheriff’s Office denied The Sun’s open records requests for additional details, citing public interest exemptions and HIPAA [Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act], despite the law’s limited application to law enforcement. Caraveo, a licensed physician, has not publicly addressed whether she ingested the medication before driving to her April campaign events.
Caraveo’s office did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or chat live at 988lifeline.org.
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