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Ronnie McNutt suicide: Trolls claim TikTok star faked his death, post messages on his behalf from hoax accounts

'I wanted to go away and I actually edited the video and made it into a live. I feel better but I still wanna get away,' one such message read
PUBLISHED SEP 10, 2020
Ronnie McNutt (Facebook)
Ronnie McNutt (Facebook)

Online trolls have set up hoax social media accounts in Ronnie McNutt's name, claiming that his suicide video was faked. The 33-year-old TikTok star and an Army veteran served in Iraq shocked the internet when he took his own life and live-streamed the incident on Facebook while he sat at a desk at his house in Mississippi on August 31, 2020. After social media companies including Facebook and Tik Tok came under extreme pressure to remove the video after it continued to appear more than a week after it was first streamed, they now face the threat of trolls setting up hoax accounts in McNutt's name and posting fake messages on behalf of the deceased. 

"I faked my death," read a post from one."I wanted to go away and I actually edited the video and made it into a live. I feel better but I still wanna get away." A later post read: "I'm not joking. I... will make a new FB account and go live on it to prove [it]."

After footage of McNutt's death spread online, a Facebook spokesperson said: "We removed the original video from Facebook last month on the day it was streamed and have used automation technology to remove copies and uploads since that time. Our thoughts remain with Ronnie's family and friends during this difficult time.”

The disturbing video, which many users have warned others not to click on after watching it themselves, contained a thumbnail that shows a bearded man with glasses speaking to someone on the phone. The distressing footage went viral on the social media platform and appeared on TikTok's 'For You' trending homepage, which made it harder to avoid. Some of the users turned the footage in which McNutt shoots himself in the head into a meme, and which drew a ton of reactions from disgusted social media users.

McNutt's friend Josh Steen spoke about the video and the failure of social media platforms in removing it. In an interview with Heavy, Sheen shared details about the circumstances surrounding his friend’s public suicide and claimed that Facebook didn’t do enough to prevent McNutt’s death from being streamed online or to remove offensive graphic content about McNutt’s death in the days since.
 
“Facebook could’ve stopped this and didn’t,” he said. Steen also said according to him Facebook is “directly responsible” for the video being shared online and going viral. Steen said, “Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other social platforms could ban accounts, IPs, and stop the spread of this video. YouTube can flag you for using two seconds of a copyrighted song, but can’t seem to filter out my friend ending his life. It does not make sense.”

McNutt reportedly suffered from PTSD after serving in the army. He was also a member of Celebration Church Tupelo, which confirmed his death in a post on its Facebook page on September 1. "In the midst of a sudden tragedy that occurred last night, we grieve with the McNutt Family during this time because passing of our brother in Christ, Ronnie McNutt," church leaders said. "Ronnie will be missed by all who loved and knew him. He was very caring, committed, loyal, dependable, and eccentric. He served his church faithfully and was loved by many."

If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, the toll-free National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) is available 24/7. You can also speak with a trained crisis counselor 24/7 by texting HOME to 741741 to reach the Crisis Text Line.

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