Who Was Michael Duarte? What To Know About The Late Influencer
How Michael Duarte's Social Media Career Came To An Abrupt End
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Michael Duarte had a promising career as a food influencer ... but it all came to an abrupt end with his death in November 2025.
What's even more concerning is the violent way the social media star died, which stood in contrast to the platform he'd built.
We're going to take a look into Duarte's professional and personal backgrounds ... and see what led up to his shocking death.
Michael Got His Start In The Restaurant Industry
Duarte was originally from Calipatria, California. He said he began his journey in the food industry when he was hired at his uncle's restaurant at the age of 14, in an October 2025 Instagram post.
He eventually moved to San Diego and worked his way up from a dishwashing position to managerial roles at a steakhouse and a Dave & Buster's location.
Duarte later experienced a mental health crisis and briefly spent time in a rehabilitation facility before he returned to the food industry after the end of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The influencer was married to his wife, Jessica, and they shared a 6-year-old daughter named Oakley.
He Built Up A Sizable Following On Instagram
Duarte started his Instagram profile, @foodwithbearhands, back in 2019, and he made a name for himself by posting cooking videos on the platform.
The influencer said he'd originally started producing content as a hobby on his off days, although he eventually began focusing on growing his own brand.
Duarte ended up building a following of 843,000 on Instagram, and he had more than 800,000 on TikTok.
In addition to creating social media content, which occasionally featured other influencers, Duarte ran a catering business.
Duarte Was Shot And Killed By A Sheriff's Deputy
His family announced Duarte's life came to a sudden end in November 2025.
Although his cause of death was initially withheld from the public, we revealed the influencer had been shot and killed by a sheriff's deputy in Castroville, Texas, after he experienced another mental health crisis.
Deputies reportedly responded to a 911 call about a man acting erratically, and Duarte was shot after threatening to kill a responding deputy and charging at her with a knife.
Duarte was transported to University Hospital in San Antonio, where he was pronounced dead. He'd celebrated his wedding anniversary just a few days earlier.
