Disclaimer: This article contains mentions of murder. Reader discretion is advised.
The latest episode of CBS 48 Hours delves into the tragic murder of the Hollywood therapist Amie Harwick. Titled “Justice for Amie Harwick,” the episode aired on the network on Saturday, February 10, 2024, at 10 p.m. ET.
Reports suggest that on Valentine’s Day of 2020, Amie’s ex-boyfriend, Gareth Pursehouse, broke into her home and waited for her to show up. When she returned, Gareth attacked her at around 1 a.m. on February 15. According to The Guardian, even though he strangled and punched her, Amie tried to fight back. Gareth ultimately threw her off the balcony, and by the time officials arrived, she was seriously injured. Two hours later, she passed away in the hospital.
Amie Harwick was engaged to comedian and actor Drew Carey for some months in 2018. Even though their engagement ended by November of that year, they remained close.
In April 2020, Carey opened up about his ex-fiancee’s murder on The Talk @ Home. He stated, “After Amie’s murder, I took a week off. Really, I couldn’t function. My first day back we taped the high school show for ‘Kids Week.’ It was all high school kids. It was my very first show back, and everybody knew what happened to me. And so I took time during the break to talk to these kids.” He further said, “I wish he never did it. I wish he never met her. When you forgive people that doesn’t mean you have to hang out with them either.”
Why did Amie Harwick and Drew Carey call off their engagement?
According to CBS News, Amie and Drew’s friends described the couple’s breakup as amicable. Reportedly, just two days before Amie’s passing, the two had fallen out of touch. Carey stated that he received a text message from his ex-fiance wanting to talk.
He said, “Valentine’s Day was a Friday. I got a text from her on Thursday. [She] said, ‘Hey, I know we haven’t talked in a while, but I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about, you know, forgiveness, and I would love to get together with you and talk.’ And I said, ‘Yeah, I would love to do that. I love you.” He further stated, “I say that to a lot of people. But, I mean it. And I was really happy, like, ‘Oh, it’d be great to see her again.”
Amie Harwick was born on May 20, 1981, and adopted as a child. At the time of her death, she was 38 years old. She initially worked as a Playboy model and dance performer to pay for her education. Harwick gradually became a sex therapist and went on to gain popularity in West Hollywood. She appeared on podcasts, TV, and her YouTube channel to discuss topics about her work. In 2014, she published she published her book titled The New Sex Bible for Women: The Complete Guide to Sexual Self-Awareness and Intimacy.
