According to officials and his mother, former child star Matthew Mindler killed himself with sodium nitrate he ordered for $15 from Amazon after researching how to use it in suicides online.
The Lancaster County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled the 19-year-old “Our Idiot Brother” actor’s death in August to be suicide by sodium nitrate toxicity after toxicology tests, TMZ reported Thursday.
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According to the outlet, the oxidizing agent, which is commonly used to preserve foods such as meat, kills people by causing low blood pressure and limiting the flow of oxygen in the body.
In addition to the ME’s decision, Matthew Mindler’s mother confirmed to TMZ that her son purchased the substance online in order to commit suicide during his first days away from home at Millersville University in Pennsylvania.
Monica Mindler, who previously disclosed that her son suffered from “crippling anxiety,” revealed that she later discovered a clear but heartbreaking link in her son’s internet search history.
The actor was looking up information on how to obtain sodium nitrate and use it to end his life painlessly, according to the distraught mother, who had no idea her son was planning to commit suicide.
He bought some on Amazon for $15, enough to kill up to four people, according to the mother.
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Monica Mindler told the outlet that she was only discussing her son’s methods in the hope that it would serve as a warning to other families who were likely unaware of the dangers of the seemingly harmless substance.
