Mylah Thelen: Michigan Teen Dies by Suicide After Alleged Rape During Spin-the-Bottle Game; 18-Year-Old Charged

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A Michigan teenager who was reportedly raped during a spin-the-bottle game at a house party has died by suicide, and now an 18-year-old man faces a felony charge in connection with the case.

On the morning of March 29, 2026, Mylah Thelen, who was just 13 years old was found dead her in her bedroom at the family’s Portland home. 


Mylah Thelen 


About a month before her death, Mylah confided in her parents that she had been sexually assaulted on February 21, 2026.

According to her parents, Mya was supposed to attend a sleepover with a friend at her home. However, they ended up at another house where they played spin the bottle with some other people, and during that game, she said an older male identified as 18-year-old Blake Kozan, raped her. 

Mylah was 12 years old at the time, and just weeks after the alleged assault, she celebrated her 13th birthday.

According to her father, Robert Thelen, she told her parents she did not want it to happen but did not know how to make it stop.

After learning about the incident, her parents took their daughter to a hospital, and then to the Montcalm Child Advocacy Center in Ionia County, a nonprofit that provides a safe environment for abuse victims to describe what they have been through. 

The couple worked constantly to reassure Mylah that nothing about what she experienced was her fault, but behind their support, she was still suffering in ways they could not fully recognize.

Mylah did tell her parents that kids at school knew about the incident and were bullying her, but her parents still tried their best to assure her that it wasn't her fault. 

“I think she was lying to me about everybody knowing about the incident and bullying her about it, because it was easier to hide it than to deal with it,” Robert Thelen said in an interview with Target 8, as per Daily Mail.

Robert Thelen also said the family still does not know what triggered her fatal decision because they were all “having the time of our lives” the night before she died. 

He said the family spent the evening laughing, making plans, and talking about the future, so they weren’t expecting her to take her life. Her parents also said she left a note for them, but they have chosen not to share what it said.


Blake Kozan



According to court records, Kozan is currently charged with one count of first-degree criminal sexual conduct. 

Before the charge was filed, Kozan reportedly spoke with a local television station where he acknowledged that a sexual interaction with Mylah occurred. However, he claimed he did not know how old she was, and that he had met her through his friend’s sister, a middle school student, as per Daily Mail.

Additionally, in a TikTok post that has since been deleted, he reportedly addressed the matter directly, saying that he knew what he did was wrong. He said he was owning up to it, adding that if anyone wanted to come after him, he would not resist and would even share his location.

Those who loved Mylah remember a girl who was both fierce and creative. She took up Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at age nine after being bullied and threw herself into the sport without fear, later adding wrestling as well. Away from the mat, she was always making something, whether painting, sewing, or knitting. 

Now, as they grieve, Mylah’s parents are pushing for something larger. They want stronger protections for children who battle mental health issues and bullying, and they hope to tear down the stigma that keeps young victims of sexual assault from reaching out for help. 

“We know there’s a bigger purpose behind our daughter’s sacrifice, and that’s to protect these kids,” Robert Thelen said.

Kozan is scheduled to be in court on June 8 and again on June 15, 2026. His public defender, Walter Downes, said neither he nor his client will offer any comments to the media at the moment, as per Daily Mail. 

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