Actress Aubrey Plaza separated from her husband Jeff Baena months before the director took his own life in Los Angeles, according to records obtained by DailyMail.com.
According to an autopsy report released Wednesday by the LA County Medical Examiner, Plaza, 40, and Baena, 47, broke up in September 2024.
Baena was found dead on January 3 at the couple’s former marital home in LA, where the director was still living. Plaza stayed in New York after the split.
A dog walker called 911 when she discovered Baena’s body after he had died by hanging, the report said.
The documents also detailed how Baena had been going to therapy and ‘experiencing marital difficulties.’
An investigator who spoke to Plaza, whose name was redacted from the report, said the actress spoke to her estranged husband the night before he killed himself.
‘She confirmed she had been separated from her husband Jeffrey Baena since September 2024,’ the investigator said.
‘In October 2024, Baena made concerning remarks to [Plaza] which prompted her to call a friend to perform a welfare check on her husband. Baena had been attending therapy since that event.’
There were no alcohol or drugs found in Baena’s system, according to the report.
No suicide note was found, but a cell phone was located on a step between the rails on the home’s staircase, an investigator wrote.
The director did not have a history of previous suicide attempts, but he had a history of having difficulty sleeping, the report obtained by DailyMail.com stated.
The document also noted that Plaza ‘knew her husband to be alive’ because he sent her a text message that morning.
The dog walker, whose name was also redacted from the report, told investigators she arrived about 10:25 am on January 3 to walk Baena’s dog as usual.
‘She heard loud music from within the house, which was unusual,’ the investigator said. ‘She yelled at him [Baena] and received no response.
The dog walker then walked inside and found his body. They then took the dog outside and called 911.
In a short statement obtained by DailyMail, a rep for the Plaza, 40, said: ‘This is an unimaginable tragedy. We are deeply grateful to everyone who has offered support. Please respect our privacy during this time.’
Baena got into film after he graduated from New York University with a film degree and moved to LA to launch his career.
He worked low-level jobs for big directors, including Robert Zemeckis and David O. Russell as he found his footing in the industry.
He worked as a production assistant for Zemeckis and as an assistant editor for Russell.
He is best known for directing Life After Beth, his directorial debut, which Plaza starred in, and The Little Hours.
He also co-wrote I Heart Huckabees, which was nominated for a 2004 Gotham Award for Best Feature.
He also wrote Life After Beth, which premiered at Sundance in 2014. His film Joshy also premiered at the famous festival and was nominated for a Grand Jury Prize.
The Miami native also worked on Horse Girl and Spin Me Round.
For his television works, he directed and executive produced Showtime series Cinema Toast. He co-directed the product with his wife.
He secretly married The White Lotus star in 2020 almost a decade after they met, keeping their relationship largely out of the limelight.
The actress’s final Instagram post with her husband revealed how ‘proud’ she was of him.