Father of Late “16 and Pregnant” Star Jordan Cashmyer Reveals Her Cause of Death; Announces Fundraiser For Jordan’s Six-Month-Old Daughter

The father of Jordan Cashmyer— the 16 and Pregnant star who passed away earlier this month at the age of 26— has revealed what caused Jordan’s death. He also recently announced that he and his family are trying to raise money to cover Jordan’s final expenses, and to create a fund for the six-month-old daughter, Lyla, whom she left behind.

As The Ashley previously reported, Jordan died on January 15, with her father Dennis Cashmyer Jr. confirming the sad news on Facebook one day later. At the time, he did not reveal what caused Jordan’s death, but on the GoFundMe page created for Jordan, Dennis stated that drug use was behind Jordan’s death.

(As The Ashley has previously reported, Jordan had struggled with substance abuse and mental health issues for years. However, the MTV starlet had recently turned her life around, getting sober in 2020 and welcoming Lyla in June 2021. She was to celebrate her two-year sobriety anniversary this month.)

Lyla and Jordan…

“Our daughter Jordan tragically lost her life on January 15, 2022, at the age of 26,” Dennis wrote. “Leaving behind a sweet little 6-month-old girl. Addiction plagues many families, and our family was not immune to it.”

Sadly, Lyla’s father died of a drug overdose shortly after Lyla’s birth, which Dennis mentions in the GoFundMe message.

“We are now faced with the grim outcome that our granddaughter that we have been raising will never get to make memories with her mother or father, never getting to know them,” he wrote. “Lyla lost her father to addiction at two months & now her mother at six months. Our family has to now not only put our daughter to rest but navigate through starting over with an infant who has lost both her parents in her six months of life. Please help our family cover the costs of Jordan’s memorial and start a fund for Lyla’s future.”

As of press time, the GoFundMe had raised $4,595 of its $15,000 goal.

An obituary printed online for Jordan mentions both Lyla and Jordan’s oldest daughter, Genevieve Taylor, whom she gave birth to on “16 and Pregnant.” Genevieve’s father (and Jordan’s ex) Derek Taylor confirmed on Twitter that Jordan had not been in Genevieve’s life for a while. (He later deleted most of his tweets but you can read them here.) 

“Lyla has been our family’s greatest joy and addition; she has been our saving grace during this difficult time,” Dennis wrote on the GoFundMe. “We pray Jordan is finally at peace.”

If you’d like to donate to the GoFundMe for Lyla, click here!

(Photos: Instagram; GoFundMe)

43 Comments

  1. I wonder if she had gone off the rails since the baby’s father died?
    It mentions that “our granddaughter we have been raising” not wording it like “that we will be raising” kind of infers like they already had her?
    Maybe I’m reading too much into it.
    RIP Jordan. Those poor little girls…..


    1. That’s what I’m thinking. I’ve also had issues with addiction and a loss like that can absolutely send you spiraling. Regardless of how her ex feels about her, it’s beyond tragic that addiction took her life. Her kids will never have the chance to know her and my heart breaks for them. They won’t understand until they’re older, but it’ll definitely have an impact on them. I just hope the girls don’t become angry or bitter later in life and can understand that addiction is an illness that isn’t easy to overcome.


    1. … the one who’s raising their child as a single father with assistance from her parents?

      Or the one the OD’d choosing drugs over the other child?


      1. Addiction is a disease, it takes over the mind, the addict alone doesn’t choose anything over anyone. The addiction makes the choice, the addict just follows along.

        Bunch of spare parts, that name says all it needs to say about you.


    2. Well, it’s her blog. She can delete comments as she sees fit. You’ve basically thrown a tantrum all over this comment section because you failed to read all the info available. Now you’re mad about the comments? You need to chill.


      1. Derek is a pos…point blank PERIOD.

        @The Ashley’s blog throws shade at the baby mama’s but GOD FORBID we throw shade at the baby daddies!!!

        In alot of cases the baby daddies are just as negligent and useless as the mama’s.

        Derek is by far in my opinion NOT an acception to that rule.

        No, he didn’t literally make her turn her life into the mess it was but in my opinion he most certainly did figuratively.

        HE pulled the wool over eyes making her think he was worth something, forcing her to feel like she had to leave with him. He was a deadbeat pos from the word GO, he was down and drug her with him.

        Like I said, “guilty conscience”, that has to be why he is showing the sweet sensitive side now.

        I seen right through you Derek. This is ALL YOUR FAULT, how can you sleep at night?!!


        1. There is something seriously wrong with you. Aren’t you the same one that claims to be a “Christian”?

          Derek is an AMAZING father to his children. And you can’t force anybody to do drugs OR to QUIT using drugs. He offered her help, she refused. Her drug problems were HERS, not anyone else’s. She made ALL of her decisions, not one single person forced her.

          It’s tragic. She was finally clean and healthy and she relapsed. IT HAPPENS. But it is NOT Derek’s fault!!


          1. I am a Christian, the Bible says, “Love the sinner, hate the sin” that’s why I’m not bad mouthing her unlike others, she wasn’t perfect but neither is he (not by a long shot!).

            He has been playing the part of doting daddy and bad mouthing her for her mistakes but God forbid anyone see him for what he is.

            There is a far cry from a REAL dad and a dad who just plays the part and gets sympathy, I got no respect or love for anyone who just PLAYS daddy.


        2. First of all, I think you mean he’s not the “exception”. Acception isn’t even a word. Secondly, if you are a Christian, try actually reading your holy book. NO WHERE in the Bible does it say “love the sinner, hate the sin”. And even if it did, you’re still doing a shitty job professing Christ when you’re so hateful towards Derrick. If her family had been more supportive, things might’ve been different. But until you can prove that Derrick PERSONALLY CAUSED her death, hop off his shit. If you know him personally, handle it personally. If you don’t, check yourself.


          1. The Bible does say that in exact words (just like this article doesn’t say in exact words that Jordan died from drugs). It’s implied on both levels.

            The saying “Love the sinner, hate the sin” is implied in many passages.

            The closest being Ezekial 33:11…look it up because I don’t got time to deal with your ignorance Saoirse.


        3. A direct quote and paraphrasing are not the same thing. Pointing out that you’re wrong doesn’t make me ignorant. “The Bible says in exact words…” “the closest being…” it either is or is not. Pick one.

          You’re so mad at absolutely nothing that you’re trying to blow things out of proportion in hopes that someone will support you. You just keep making yourself look messy on a blog post about a mother who succumbed to her addiction. Your whole argument was that it didn’t say how she died and now you’re agreeing with the entire point that it’s implied she died due to an addiction. That makes 2 obvious contractions so far. But please, keep being Farrah levels of messy 😂


    3. @ComeOnPeople: I delete comments that contain offensive words (which you have used in several comments, such as re**rd, etc). I also delete comments that are racist, contain hate speech or blatantly wrong information, or are offensive in other ways. Otherwise, comments are left intact. The deleted comments contained some of these things. -The Ashley


      1. He was trash from the beginning, HE made HER feel like she had to leave with him because she was pregnant with his kid, then he wouldn’t get a job causing them to be homeless. He would rather couch surf and play Xbox than be a decent person, but she thought he would change after G was born but he never did so she left him. He kept the daughter, wouldn’t give her back…wouldn’t even let Jordan see G.

        It was all in the Where Are They Now special.

        So AMAZING father…heck no!! He gave her nothing but grief so don’t give me that garbage.

        And like I said, addiction is a disease. It takes over the mind, the addiction makes the decision and the addict folllows along.

        And no, it’s not literally his fault, but figuratively…heck yeah it is.


          1. What an adult response. LMFAO You need serious counseling or maybe to go church like you claim you do SMFH you need something that’s for damn sure.


      2. Well, if you delete comments that contain hate speech amongst other things, you should be deleting everything (including half your articles), some of the captions are PATHETIC and mean.

        Heck, you might as well go out of business if you’re worried about offensive talk. That’s all half the people on here know.


  2. Addiction is such a difficult journey to navigate for the person and their family. I have chrones disease and spend a lot of time on the gastro ward. I spent 5 months in hospital recently, and 3 of the 6 in our bay (I’m in the uk) were addicts with liver damage. I became really close to one girl, who at 27 was the most unwell person I’d ever seen. She had almost green skin and yellow eyes, with a very bloated stomach. She went on a detox and stuck to it. She had a supportive family and a 7 year old daughter. We stayed in touch and met regularly. In June last year, we’d been chatting late at night. I woke up the next day with a text from her brother to say she’d passed away. She had been drinking again, and hidden it well. She was too scared to go to the dentist for an absess due to vivid risks, so took pain relief with alcohol and didn’t wake up. It’s devastating for those left behind and I will always feel like I could and should have done more to support her. I really hope that the cycle of addiction doesn’t continue in this family


  3. Okay…where is the COD?

    All it mentions is her past struggles with substance abuse and the fact that Lyla’s father died from drugs.

    Lord, I can see all crap talk and heartless speculation on here now!!!


      1. I see that but “lost her mother” to what. Your articles should really be more specific.

        Half of these headlines don’t match what’s in the flipping article!!!!


          1. the article says “on the GoFundMe page created for Jordan, Dennis stated that drug use was behind Jordan’s death.”


          2. “Our daughter Jordan tragically lost her life on January 15, 2022, at the age of 26,” Dennis wrote. “Leaving behind a sweet little 6-month-old girl. Addiction plagues many families, and our family was not immune to it.”

            Sadly, Lyla’s father died of a drug overdose shortly after Lyla’s birth, which Dennis mentions in the GoFundMe message.

            Nowhere does it say anything about how Jordan DIED, this is how speculation and rumors start. Especially when it also states

            (As The Ashley has previously reported, Jordan had struggled with substance abuse and mental health issues for years. However, the MTV starlet had recently turned her life around, getting sober in 2020 and welcoming Lyla in June 2021. She was to celebrate her two-year sobriety anniversary this month.)


          3. Nina, I read this stupid article MULTIPLE times and the only mention of a drug related death was Lyla’s father when she was 2 months old!!


        1. It’s literally the THIRD sentence on the go fund me page. He states that their family was not immune to addiction. That infers she died due to addiction. It’s not a rumor or speculation when it’s been stated.


          1. I’m not gonna infer anything, it also says she was about to celebrate 2 years of sobriety, did you see anything about a relapse? Um no.

            And if you’re so into inferring what someone is saying maybe you need to think that he (Dennis) COULD have been referring to Lyla’s father as “our family”.

            A family don’t gotta be blood.


        2. I see where you would get confused because overdose is explicitly mentioned. What Dennis basically says is addiction took Lyla’s father when she was 2 month then her at 6 months. One cause, two different parents, parents ages. Overdose is such a harsh, negative word that they may have wanted to avoid mentioning in her good find me. It’s kind of like how the media didn’t explicitly say Robin Williams died from suicide.


          1. Even before the autopsy was complete they were saying he was found hanging inside his apartment but the second the autopsy report was released for Robin Williams the death was ruled as asphyxia by hanging.

            That’s pretty explicit.

            As far as on here goes, it doesn’t explicitly say “Jordan died from an overdose”, true its implied but that’s how rumors start…by implication.

            And if she did indeed die from drugs was it accidental, intentional (suicide), we’re they prescription, OTC, illegal…what?

            People can die from mixing methadone with a prescription…which is how my best friend died.

            The Dr never warned of taking the two together even though he knew the possible side effects and sure enough after about a week of taking the two meds at the same time, he laid down for a nap and his heart stopped.

            So, ppl need to stop implying, inferring and bad mouthing her and this situation because NOBODY but the Good Lord up above KNOWS what/how it happened.


      2. It was clear as day….”on the GoFundMe page created for Jordan, Dennis stated that drug use was behind Jordan’s death.”


    1. It says “on the GoFundMe page created for Jordan, Dennis stated that drug use was behind Jordan’s death.”


    2. Her father said what he wanted to say and very clearly states addiction. He has a right to privacy and is not obligated to release an exact cause and manner of death of his daughter to the public. It is literally no one’s else’s business but the family. He is probably thinking of his grand children, he likely doesn’t want them to learn of the heartbreaking details of her death from the internet and would rather they hear it from family.


  4. Just heartbreaking – hopefully Lyla’s story will have a good outcome. May she learn from her mother’s choices and not make the same mistakes as she gets older.

    In the past 25 years, the number of overdose deaths has increased by ten-fold in the US. Over 100k dead last year. Illegal drugs are becoming more potent, readily available and cheaper. Combine that with a sense of hopelessness some are experiencing as solid living-wage jobs that can support a family are harder to come by than in generations past.


  5. hopefully people can stop blaming her parents for what happened to her. they were in a better place than before when she passed away why would y’all use that time to blame her family for something that happened in the past. they need to remember that even before jordan became an addict she chose not to have her family’s help


  6. This is so tragic, I feel so badly for that baby girl and truly hope she lives a better life than her parents. Addiction is an awful disease and it has affected so many I hope as a whole we start to better care for addicts and understand them so we know how to bc not enough is done and certainly not enough early enough to prevent it either.

Leave a Reply to Saoirse Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.