‘Our Idiot Brother’ star Matthew Mindler took his own life with chemicals used to cure meat, his grieving mother said.
The 19-year-old was found lifeless in Manor Township near Millersville University on August 28 four days after being reported missing.
According to reports, he used sodium nitrate he purchased on Amazon during his first days at university.
Mindler purchased the chemical for $15 on Amazon in August. He passed away from lack of oxygen and extreme low blood pressure, TMZ reported.
Millersville University police said that Mindler was last spotted on campus on Tuesday night after he attended classes. He was seen in security footage walking from the West Villages residence to Centennial Driver parking lot.
Daniel Wubah, the Millersville University President, sent a letter to students addressing the teen’s disappearance.
“Matt’s health and safety are paramount and I know our thoughts are with him, his family and friends,” Wubah it read.
“Our police department is continuing efforts to locate Matt in conjunction with regional law enforcement agencies. They are following every lead and appreciate your attention to this effort.”
Toxicology tests from the Lancaster County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled the child actor’s death to be suicide by sodium nitrate toxicity.
Deaths related to sodium nitrate are often accidental as the compound is usually used to preserve meat. However, the teen’s mother, Monica Mindler, said that based on the evidence her son had left behind, the overdose was premeditated.
Speaking to TMZ, the mother said that her late son’s recent search history on the internet revealed that he was searching for ways to commit suicide painlessly.
Monica also said that she was aware of her son’s ‘crippling anxiety’ but she had no idea that suicide was something he had been considering.
“It is with a grieving heart that I let you know of the death of 19-year-old Matthew Mindler from Hellertown, Pennsylvania, a first-year student at Millersville University,” the statement obtained by the news outlet read.
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