Salt Lake City police had already sat down with reality TV figure Mary Cosby about turmoil in her son’s marriage just weeks before he was found dead, according to newly released records.
On Jan. 9, detectives interviewed Cosby about her 23-year-old son, Robert Cosby Jr., and his then-wife, Alexiana Smokoff. Records show she told officers she had not seen her son get into physical fights with Smokoff, describing their disputes as mostly verbal. On Feb. 23, Robert was found dead at a Salt Lake City home. The documents that have since become public sketch out a tangle of allegations, addiction issues, and court battles that were still unresolved when he died.
Police Records Outline Alleged 2024 Assault
According to a Salt Lake City police report detailed by TMZ, Smokoff called officers on Nov. 23, 2025, to report an incident from May 2024 that she had not previously disclosed. She told police Robert “grabbed her by the throat” after she flushed his drugs, the report states.
The same report notes that officers interviewed Mary on Jan. 9, and that she denied seeing physical altercations between the couple, saying she had witnessed only verbal arguments. Police records also show investigators spoke with Robert while he was jailed, and that he acknowledged using fentanyl and described going through a period in which he felt in a “psychosis.”
Other Reporting Echoes What Is in the Police File
Copies of those documents obtained by Us indicate officers had been called to the family home multiple times, including for an apparent overdose in February 2023. Those records quote Robert as saying he and his wife were using fentanyl and that he had “acted erratically and irrationally” during the 2024 incident.
Us also reports that Robert filed court paperwork challenging the domestic-violence allegations before his death, signaling he was actively disputing the claims while the legal process played out.
Legal Status
State court filings and local reporting show Robert was facing domestic-violence charges tied to the May 2024 allegation, with other related counts still pending. Local coverage from KSL notes that prosecutors filed aggravated-assault and additional charges in early February and that Robert had been jailed in recent months as the cases moved through court.
Family Reaction and Show Fallout
Mary and her husband issued a brief statement saying their son had been “called home to the Lord,” a message obtained by PEOPLE, and asked for prayers as they grieve. Production on The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City paused following Robert’s death, later restarting without Mary, who immediately returned to filming. Cast members publicly shared condolences as the family tried to process a private loss under a very public spotlight.
Investigation and Unanswered Questions
The Salt Lake City Police Department has confirmed officers responded to a reported overdose on Feb. 23 and that the case is being handled as a death investigation. As of the latest local reporting, the medical examiner had not yet released an official cause of death.
For now, both the court file and the police paperwork point to a series of unresolved legal and medical questions that investigators and the Cosby family are still left to confront.
