Man who raised thousands claiming to be dying of cancer wasn't ill, death ruled suicide - Coroner
A coroner has confirmed that Douglas Ruch, a man who raised significant funds by falsely claiming to have terminal cancer, died by suicide. The investigation followed public scrutiny of his fundraising campaigns, which had been featured in several major international media outlets.
Why it matters
The case highlights the vulnerabilities in crowdfunding platforms and the importance of media due diligence in verifying charitable claims.
A coroner has found a man who raised thousands of dollars claiming to have terminal cancer did not have the disease when he died by suicide.
Douglas 'Doug' Ruch was a 56-year-old US National who arrived in New Zealand just days before his death.
He gained media attention claiming to have terminal prostate cancer and fundraising to travel and do volunteer work.
Ruch's campaign, 'DyingToServe', featured in a number of outlets including The Guardian , NBC , and The Washington Post .
He fundraised to travel to the US for volunteer work with different organisations, claiming to have the disease and wishing to 'spend his remaining time serving other,' Coroner Tracey Fitzgibbon said.
Ruch's campaigns raised significant amounts of money, with The Guardian reporting one of his GoFundMe's reached US$230,000 (NZ$391,386).
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