Food influencer Michael Duarte’s wife ‘struggling’ over his sudden death following alleged police altercation

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Oh my gosh, I’m absolutely heartbroken! Michael Duarte’s wife, Jessica, just posted on Instagram and she said she’s really, really struggling since he passed. It’s so raw and emotional, you can just feel her pain. I’m sending all my love to her, this is just devastating.

Food With Bear Hands, a popular social media personality, died on November 8th at the age of 36 in a tragic accident.

Police in Texas shot and killed Michael after responding to a 911 call reporting a man behaving erratically and wielding a knife, according to TMZ.

Jessica and her husband, a popular social media influencer, recently celebrated their ninth wedding anniversary. They are also parents to their six-year-old daughter, Oakley.

After Michael passed away, I wasn’t sure how to honor him, so I’m sharing his stories as a way to keep his memory alive.

‘Whether they be about his content or Mike as my husband, daddy and friend to all.’

Jessica shared that she’s deeply moved by the support from fans and intends to continue honoring his memory, both for him and his family.

He always gave so much to others, and now I want to return the favor. I’m still figuring out how best to do that, but I hope he’ll guide me.

She also shared her thanks to everyone who has offered support, saying she feels incredibly loved and empowered. She specifically thanked her close friends and the community around Mike’s BBQ for making her feel like she has a strong network of people supporting her.

Jessica shared, with sadness, that she’s still grieving his loss, but is beginning to understand he had a larger purpose in life.

I’m noticing God working in surprising and new ways, and I’m hopeful that this will bring our family some much-needed peace.

She then shared a heartfelt message with Michael, saying, ‘I’m so proud to be your wife, and I’ll always cherish that role. Goodbye, Dad ❤️.’

Jessica mentioned that they are planning a funeral service and the police are still investigating.

She recently posted a heartfelt message remembering her husband after he passed away last weekend.

It’s hard to believe it’s only been a day since everything changed. Honestly, I feel completely numb, and it’s mixed with so much anger and sadness. It’s a pain I can’t even begin to put into words, and I never imagined I’d be sharing something like this. It just feels… unreal.

While the world knew you as foodwithbearhands, we knew and loved you as a devoted husband and father. Your death was unfair and you didn’t deserve this tragedy.

She shared a heartfelt message, saying she would love him always and remain strong for their daughter, knowing how much he cared for both of them. She asked for prayers for their family and told her husband she would miss him deeply until they were reunited.

On November 8th in Castroville, Texas, police shot and killed Michael after responding to a 911 call reporting a man behaving strangely and carrying a knife.

According to law enforcement, Michael acted in a threatening way towards officers and didn’t follow their repeated instructions to get on the ground.

The Medina County Sheriff’s Office reports that the situation with Michael ended when he reportedly rushed at a deputy and threatened to kill them.

The deputy then fired two shots, striking Michael.

Medics immediately treated him at the scene before taking him to a local hospital, where he was sadly pronounced dead, officials said.

The Daily Mail has contacted the Medina County Sheriff’s Office for a statement, but they haven’t heard back yet.

A social media personality from California, known as @foodwithbearhands, recently died shortly after celebrating his wedding anniversary.

News of Michael’s passing was announced in a tribute from his talent agency, Alooma Media Group.

We are deeply saddened to announce the death of our client and friend, Michael Duarte.

He was a wonderful colleague – a truly loyal partner and someone we could always rely on. Beyond his skill and dedication, he was an exceptional person who inspired everyone he worked with and left a lasting positive impact on our team.

A GoFundMe campaign has been started to help with the costs of Michael’s funeral and to cover the expenses of bringing him home to California.

The funds collected will also help support the internet personality’s wife, Jessica, and their daughter, Oakley.

My heart goes out to Michael’s family right now. They’re going through an incredibly tough time, and I’m sending all my positive energy and prayers their way – especially for his sweet daughter, Oakley, and his wife, Jessica. It’s moments like these that remind us how important it is to support one another.

‘If you are able to financially assist, please consider donating.’

At the time of writing, the GoFundMe has raised $81,472.

Michael amassed a following of over 850,000 fans on Instagram with his cooking videos.

He began sharing cooking videos online as a fun pastime during the pandemic, and kept it up even while working to restore a restaurant.

‘On my days off, I started posting food videos again – my first one was with my daughter,’ he said in a biography shared on Instagram. ‘That’s when I realized how happy creating content made me.

You know, it started as something I just loved doing in my free time, but then it hit me – this wasn’t just a fun pastime. It had real potential, the kind that could actually turn into a business, something I could really build and be proud of. It felt bigger than just me, like it could really make a difference.

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2025-11-14 18:53