The Connecticut Office of Chief Medical Examiner has confirmed that Mia Farrow’s son, Thaddeus, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his torso, effectively ruling his death a suicide.

Thaddeus Wilk Farrow was found bleeding inside his vehicle on Wednesday and was promptly rushed to Danbury Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. The 27-year-old took his own life after being stricken by polio, which left him paraplegic for a number of years. However, it is unclear whether this physical condition was the motive for his actions.

71-year-old Mia thanked fans for their condolences and acknowledged the ongoing work of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

The message read: “We’re devastated by the loss of Thaddeus, our beloved son and brother. He was a wonderful, courageous person who overcame so much hardship in his short life. We miss him. Thank you for the outpouring of condolences and words of kindness. If you or someone you love needs help, or if you want to support a group doing life saving work, please visit: https://afsp.org/.”

Shortly after adopting Thaddeus, Mia strongly supported a campaign to end the devastating disease and later revealed that she, too, was a victim as a child. Thankfully she fought the infection successfully due to advanced medical treatment.

She previously shared: “I perhaps am more motivated than most people because I had polio myself and it was a real struggle to come through it, and what I saw will never leave me.

Perhaps even more so because I have a son who is only 12 years old and who is paralysed from the waist down because of polio.

This is a terrible disease, and he has a lot of difficulty just getting through the day. I would love to see the end of polio, where no more children have this.”