A “looksmaxxer” who drowned in Thailand was reportedly injecting gold in pursuit of superpowers in the lead up to his death.
Connor Murphy drowned last week after jumping into a lake in Samut Prakan, just south of Bangkok.
The American man was a fitness influencer, bodybuilder, and “looksmaxxer” born in Texas, well-known for his enlarged and defined jawline.
His YouTube channel has more than 2.3 million subscribers.
Before his death, emergency services were contacted about reports Mr Murphy acting erratically.
When police arrived at the luxury housing estate, Murphy ran and jumped into the lake, which was more than 10 metres deep.
While swimming, police say he looked exhausted before he disappeared under the water.
It took about half an hour for rescue divers to locate Murphy’s body, which was found about 20 metres from shore.
Local outlet Thairath reported that police had found two unused syringes in Murphy’s car and unidentified white pills in his bag.
The house he was staying in had been extensively vandalised, with black and yellow paint splashed all throughout the property, including on electrical appliances.
Australian “looksmaxxer” Androgenic, whose real name is unknown, was a friend of Mr Murphy’s and has made several social media posts since his death.
He claimed Mr Murphy has begun injecting gold as a way to develop superpowers.
“He has this theory that gold is some gatekept mineral by the higher ups that allows you to tap into higher levels of consciousness and other dimensions if you ingest it,” he said.
“He starts melting gold jewellery and injecting it.
“Shortly after, he started to claim it was giving him superhuman abilities.”
In a screenshot of texts shared between the pair, Murphy appears to write “I’ve injected probably 300ml total over a few days”.
“I ordered an IV. I think that will be much more efficient,” he wrote.
“But absolutely I’m feeling the benefits. Clearer cognition, FOV expanding, and back pain completely gone.
“I can’t fathom what could happen when I get more in my system.
“I’m trying not to get too grandiose but it’s tough.”
In another message from Mr Murphy, the experience of gold was described as “mind blowing”.
“Gold is somehow exceeding my expectations. Superhuman vision, cognition, and athletic ability. Mind blowing,” the text read.
Androgenic said he believed it could be linked to his death.
“Within a matter of weeks, according to his close friends, he basically descended into madness and he was just painting on the walls of his rental house with gold.
“He was taking some substances. It got to the point where he was completely running a muck in his neighbourhood and the cops were called and he ran away from the cops into the lake, and whatever happened, happened.
“A lot of the time, Connor certainly towed that line between eccentricity and pure insanity, and, unfortunately, he was on the wrong side of it at the end.
In another video, he detailed what he believed to be “the spookiest part about Connor Murphy’s passing”.
Androgenic said Mr Murphy was working on a documentary in the lead-up to his death.
“Four days before he died, he was planning to fake his death,” he said.
“It was for a major documentary that a few of us started.
“That’s why when the news first broke out, I thought it was fake, but the more I looked into it, it became clear that it was actually real.”
Lifeline: 13 11 14.
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