Dallas Cowboys DE Marshawn Kneeland’s GF Catalina Mancera welcomes baby boy Makhai 7 months after his horrific death at 24

Trigger Warning: This story contains references to suicide.Seven months after Marshawn Kneeland sent a “goodbye” text to a group chat, his girlfriend, Catalina Mancera, welcomed a baby boy. She was pregnant at the time. When the Dallas Cowboys defensive end reportedly expressed suicidal ideation.

Catalina Mancera’s NFL boyfriend Marshawn Kneeland passed away from apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound

After Catalina Mancera received the “goodbye” text, she called 911 dispatcher to report a welfare check on Marshawn Kneeland.She told them, “He is armed and has a history of mental illness. He will end it all.” With the help of an extensive search using K-9 and drone units, Kneeland was found curled up on the floor in a portable toilet in Frisco, Texas, a Dallas suburb. He had passed away from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound after crashing his car into a pickup truck following a police chase on Nov. 6, 2025. The crash occurred after police began pursuing Kneeland and attempted to get him to stop his vehicle. The pursuit was for a traffic violation.A year ago, Kneeland’s mother, Wendy, had passed away.

Marshawn Kneeland’s mother Wendy passed away from accidental drug overdose

45-year-old Wendy passed away from an accidental drug overdose in Feb. 2024.

The medical examiner found oxycodone and morphine in her system along with anticonvulsant gabapentin, antidepressant duloxetine, and muscle relaxant cyclobenzaprine. Talking to The Dallas Morning News, Kneeland said a few months before his tragic passing, “It was definitely tough. I just managed it. I had to try to breathe and let all of it out as much as possible in the situation. She helped me a lot in my younger years, getting into football.

I always had the dream. I always told her -- I’m going to the NFL. I put myself in the best position, and she helped me get out a lot just leading up to the draft. She was right there with me. She’s still with me. I got this urn of her ashes I carry with me everywhere. I still feel like she’s there watching over me.”

Marshawn Kneeland wore his mother Wendy’s ashes in a necklace after her death

At her funeral service, Kneeland said, “It’s definitely tough. You just never expect something like this. She would always help me, just life in general.

She was basically there for me for everything. If I could go back in time, I would have definitely found a way for me to go see her or for her to come see me. It tore me apart. I can still feel her just training. I feel her presence there with me, and I still do. I know she’s watching over me. I try to be strong as much as I can.” The loss of his mother must be eating him away…so much so that when the football season started, he must have been missing her like anything. Two months into the season and his first NFL career touchdown scored, the police found his abandoned vehicle crashed on the southbound Dallas Parkway near Warren Parkway. And Kneeland curled up in a portable toilet covered in a pool of blood, less than half a mile west of the Dallas Parkway. He had abandoned the vehicle and fled the scene after the crash. At that moment, his girlfriend, Catalina Mancera, was pregnant.

Brian Schottenheimer announced Catalina Mancera’s pregnancy news

It was Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer who revealed the news to the world after Marshawn Kneeland’s tragic passing.The then-first-year head coach announced a memorial fund had been started to support Kneeland’s pregnant girlfriend Catalina Mancera and their unborn child. “We want to make sure she’s taken care of, and the baby is taken care of for the rest of their lives,” Schottenheimer said during the Nov.

2025 news conference. Fast forward to today, Mancera announced via Instagram that their baby had arrived. She captioned it, “my favorite gift from you [white heart emoji]. June 11th, 2026.” She shared several snapshots along with the announcement. The baby boy’s name is Makhai. And congratulations are dropping in with every passing second. Dak Prescott’s ex-fiancée, Sarah Jane Ramos, commented, “Congratulations babe [red heart emoji].” Brian Schottenheimer’s wife, Gemmi Schottenheimer, commented, “Congratulations sweet girl! Can’t wait to meet him [red heart emoji].”