Former Olympic darling Mary Lou Retton is facing a wave of public concern and personal crisis after her emotional mugshot surfaced online following a DUI arrest. The 1984 gold medalist was taken into custody in May 2025 after police reportedly found signs of impairment and an open container of wine in her Porsche.
In the mugshot, released by the Fairmont City Police Department, Retton appears visibly distressed, with glassy eyes and a near-tearful expression.
Video footage from the scene shows her struggling through a field sobriety test, including walking in a straight line, and officers noted the smell of alcohol and slurred speech. She reportedly refused a blood alcohol test before being booked and released on a $1,500 recognizance bond the same day.
The arrest came just months after Retton nearly died from a severe respiratory illness that left her hospitalized and intubated for nearly a month. “I should be dead,” she told Today’s Hoda Kotb in a raw interview earlier this year. At one point, her four daughters were reportedly called in to say their goodbyes.
Following the DUI incident, rumors swirled that Retton had “vanished,” prompting fears from her family. But her attorney strongly denied those claims, calling the reports “grossly inaccurate.”
Despite her recovery, Retton has acknowledged her physical and emotional scars. “It’s been really hard. My lungs are so scarred. It will be a lifetime of recovery,” she said. Her daughters launched a fundraiser to help cover medical bills, raising nearly $460,000 — but the family faced online backlash, which Retton brushed off.
“You weren’t in that situation,” she said. “My daughters stepped up to the plate and they saved my life.”
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