Fifteen years following the 2010 demise of actor Gary Coleman due to injuries sustained by a fall in his home in Utah, fresh questions were raised in late 2025 concerning how Coleman came to fall. A.E.'s new program, Lie Detector: Truth or Deception, notably featuring Coleman's ex-wife Shannon Price, had a polygraph test conducted which reignited speculation about what actually happened in 2010.
Price would be a good subject for a polygraph examination on the program, which aired on July 10, 2025. Price was scored as inconclusive on a couple of her answers and did pass some of the questions to the examiner, but retired FBI polygraph examiner George Olivo highlighted the period of deception related to the direct question asking Price if she caused Coleman to fall.
The results from the test have surfaced and stirred old suspicions about the circumstances of the incident that caused Coleman injuries pawn.
Polygraph Results Indicate Deception
Shannon Price and Gary Coleman were married in 2007 and divorced in 2008. They were still living together in Utah after their divorce. On May 26, 2010, Coleman fell at home and sustained a head injury. He was admitted to the hospital with a brain hemorrhage. Two days later, at the request of Price, Coleman was removed from life support. At the time, Coleman’s death was considered an accident with no criminal charges filed.
Now, more than a decade later, the polygraph test has once again brought the case back into the public eye.
During the polygraph session, Price was asked three key questions:
- Whether she ever hit Gary Coleman
- Whether she intentionally denied him help after he fell
- Whether she physically made him fall
The examiner determined that her answers to the first two questions were inconclusive. Therefore, the test was unable to determine whether she was being truthful. But when the examiner asked her whether she caused his fall, there were clear indicators of deception in the test results.
Olivo, a former federal bureau of investigations agent that conducted the test, said, "She failed the exam," suggesting that she perhaps was not telling the truth. "Your body spoke loud and clear," he told Price during the episode. Although polygraph tests are not legally binding and usually aren't used in court, they are often used as part of an investigation to determine if people are being truthful.
Price Insists She Did Not Hurt Gary Coleman But Accepts She May Have Done More
In the special, Shannon Price denied any wrongdoing in regard to Gary Coleman’s fall or withholding the help he needed. However, she accepted that she very well could have been able to help him a little more in his final minutes. “I could have helped him a little bit more,” Price said on camera.
Price expressed concern with the polygraph test, stating she felt anxious and awkward during the taping and that may have affected the final result. Price stands by the fact that she's innocent and she made the point that no one ever took legal action against her after Coleman died. “There’s a reason I’m not in jail," she stated in the episode.
Even though Price has long dismissed any part in Coleman’s death, the latest polygraph results have revived the interest in the case. Numerous viewers, including many fans of the deceased actor, are left to ponder if the entire truth has ever been made known.
Gary Coleman was best known as Arnold Jackson from the very popular TV sitcom Diff’rent Strokes. Coleman was 42 years of age at the time of his death. He had experienced health issues with kidney disease and frequent hospital care for most of his life.
Although the episode continues to gain traction, questions remain as to whether this is an indication that the case will be reopened or if the probe will only be an additional layer of mystery thrown on to what is already a sad story.
Source(Image / Thumbnail): people.com
