Pauley Perrette tweets 'multiple physical assaults' led to her 'NCIS' departure

Fans of ‘NCIS' mourned the departure of Pauley Perrette, but now she may have given them reason to support her decision to leave the CBS ratings powerhouse after 352 episodes over 15 seasons.

Through a series of tweets over the weekend, Perrette implied that she was a victim of “multiple physical assaults” and that a “very rich, very powerful publicity ‘machine'” was responsible from keeping her from telling her story.

At times Perrette's tweets were cryptic. She provided few specifics and left her readers to fill in the blanks.

The first, which she posted Saturday night, said, “I refused to go low, that's why I've never told publicly what happened. But there are tabloid articles out there that are telling total lies about me. If you believe them? Please leave me alone. You clearly don't know me. (Sorry guys, had to be said)”

She returned to her Twitter account early Sunday morning with a follow-up.

“Maybe I'm wrong for not ‘spilling the beans' Telling the story, THE TRUTH. I feel I have to protect my crew, jobs and so many people. But at what cost? I.don't know. Just know, I'm trying to do the right thing, but maybe silence isn't the right thing about crime. I'm… Just… ?”

Her third tweet: “There is a ‘machine' keeping me silent, and feeding FALSE stories about me. A very rich, very powerful publicity ‘machine'. No morals, no obligation to truth, and I'm just left here, reading the lies, trying to protect my crew. Trying to remain calm. He did it.”

And finally, in her fourth tweet she mentions the multiple assaults. “I've been supporting anti-bullying programs forever. But now I KNOW because it was ME! If it's school or work, that you're required to go to? It's horrifying. I left. Multiple Physical Assaults. I REALLY get it now. Stay safe. Nothing is worth your safety. Tell someone.”

Perrette, 49, played Abby Sciutto on the popular police procedular series. Her final episode aired last week.

According to Indie Wire, Perrette had been a victim of assault previously. She was granted a restraining order in 2004 against her ex-husband, actor-musician Coyote Shivers, after she said he put her through physical, emotional and sexual abuse during and after their marriage. She was also assaulted by a homeless man outside her Hollywood home in 2015.

CBS has yet to comment on Perrette's tweets.