“I believe firmly that the detective believes and knows that she did not [harm herself],” her father, John Hundley, told Fox News Digital on Tuesday.
The singer, whose full name was Mandisa Lynn Hundley, was found dead in her home in Franklin, Tenn., a suburb of Nashville, on April 18. She appeared on Season 5 of “American Idol,” making it to the top 10, before further pursuing her music career. Mandisa was nominated for five Grammys, winning in 2014 for her contemporary Christian album “Overcomer: The Greatest Hits.”
Detectives “talked about the scars, any type of bruises that may have been on her body. They looked for signs that she may have harmed herself, and there were no signs to indicate that she did anything to harm herself,” her father elaborated.
Mandisa’s friends and family gathered at Brentwood Baptist Church in Nashville for her celebration of life over the weekend, in a ceremony filled with gospel music and punctuated by emotional speeches. In his eulogy, her father described the circumstances he believes led to his daughter’s death.
“Mandisa fell down in her bedroom,” he told the congregation, as seen in a YouTube video of the service. “They found her on the floor. If you look from the rear of her bed, she was laying on the left side. It’s clear that’s where she was laying; there was a couple of big rugs there and some clothes. On the right side of the bed, front, was this nightstand. I found her phone on the right side of the bed. There was no way for Mandisa to get around the bed, go out there and get a phone to call for help.”
It appears the “Way Maker” singer had been struggling with her health in the months before her death.
“She told me some time ago that she had gotten COVID-19, and she had been weak trying to get over that,” her father explained at the church.
Law enforcement has confirmed that foul play is not being considered in their investigation.
“At this time, there is no indication the death was the result of suspicious or criminal activity. The Franklin Police Department sends its condolences to Hundley’s family, friends, and fans,” they posted on X.
Tributes for Mandisa included an emotional performance of “Shackles (Praise You)” on “American Idol” by show alums Melinda Doolittle, Colton Dixon and Danny Gokey. Mandisa performed the song, which was originally recorded by gospel duo Mary Mary, on Season 5 of the show and later covered the song on her CDs “Overcomer: The Greatest Hits” and “Get Up: The Remixes.”
“I think Mandisa is so happy and pleased with [all the love and support],” Hundley told the congregants. “I’m going through so many boxes of cards from people who said, ‘Mandisa, you touched my life. Mandisa, my life has changed because of you.’”
Beyond her inspiring music, the singer also released a memoir, “Out of the Dark: My Journey Through the Shadows to Find God’s Joy,” documenting her struggle with depression following the loss of a close friend to breast cancer.
“My dream is that this book will be a tool used in living rooms and coffee shops all over the world to help prompt discussions about our mental health,” she told “Good Morning America” in 2022.
‘“Let’s be an ambassador and change people’s lives. Let’s be in unity,” her father concluded.