Cruel trolls claiming Ronnie McNutt's harrowing suicide video was not real have set up a fake social media account in his name.
The 33-year-old Iraq War veteran live-streamed his own death on Facebook when he fatally shot himself at his home in New Albany, Mississippi, on August 31.
The video wasn't taken down for almost two hours as social media giants were heavily criticised for failing to block it sooner.
It was still being posted this week on TikTok under fake titles or hidden within clips aimed at young children leaving thousands traumatised and parents furious.
Now there is more torment for Ronnie's family and friends after a fake account was created claiming he is still alive - and that the whole thing was made up.
"I faked my death," one sick post read on social media.
"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."
The warped user returned later, adding: "I'm not joking. I will make a new Facebook account and go live on it to prove it."
Distressing video of his death went viral on TikTok, where it was feared very young children were exposed to the extremely graphic footage.
Shortly before he began the live-stream at his home, he shared a post on his Facebook page stating: "Someone in your life needs to hear that they matter. That they are loved.
"That they have a future. Be the one to tell them."
He then took his own life.
The former soldier had PTSD from his time in the US Army, and was "incredibly drunk" when he killed himself, according to a close friend.
Joshua Steen claims Facebook didn’t do enough to prevent the video from being streamed online - or to remove offending content in the days afterwards.
He said Facebook is "directly responsible" for the clip.
“Facebook could’ve stopped this and didn’t,” he told Heavy.com.
“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.”
A Facebook spokesman 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."
A TikTok spokesperson said: "On Sunday night, clips of a suicide that had been livestreamed on Facebook circulated on other platforms, including TikTok.
"Our systems have been automatically detecting and flagging these clips for violating our policies against content that displays, praises, glorifies, or promotes suicide.
"We are banning accounts that repeatedly try to upload clips, and we appreciate our community members who've reported content and warned others against watching, engaging, or sharing such videos on any platform out of respect for the person and their family.
"If anyone in our community is struggling with thoughts of suicide or concerned about someone who is, we encourage them to seek support, and we provide access to hotlines directly from our app and in our Safety Centre."
If you're struggling and need to talk, the Samaritans operate a free helpline open 24/7 on 116 123. Alternatively, you can email jo@samaritans.org or visit their site to find your local branch
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