American fitness influencer Connor Murphy allegedly injected himself with melted down gold, in the weeks before he drowned while fleeing police in Thailand, according to friends who said his behaviour had become increasingly erratic. Murphy, 32, died on July 7 after jumping into a lake in Samut Prakan while officers responded to complaints from residents.

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Friends claimed Murphy had become obsessed with the idea that gold could give him extraordinary abilities. Australian influencer Androgenic, whose real name is Ronan, said Murphy believed injecting gold would help him “tap into higher levels of consciousness” and alleged he had been melting down gold jewellery before injecting it. Fellow fitness influencer Chris Elkins also told The Sun that Murphy later switched to intravenous infusions of gold, believing they gave him “superpowers”.

According to Elkins, Murphy’s mental health had deteriorated over several years following a 40-day water-only fast in 2020. He said Murphy lost between 50 and 60 pounds during the challenge despite already being in peak physical condition. Elkins also claimed Murphy later experimented with psychedelics, became increasingly isolated from friends and insisted his unusual online behaviour was merely an act.

The US Food and Drug Administration has warned there are significant risks and no proven health benefits from injecting gold or silver outside specific medical treatments using carefully controlled doses. Friends described Murphy’s alleged gold injections as dangerous and said they wished they had been able to persuade him to seek professional help.

Murphy, a former bodybuilding and prank video star with millions of followers, was one of the early influencers linked to the looksmaxxing movement, which promotes improving physical appearance, sometimes through extreme methods. Before his death, police responding to his rented home in Bang Phli found black and yellow paint smeared across walls, furniture and appliances. Authorities also recovered two unused syringes from his car.

Police said Murphy fled when officers arrived following reports of screaming at the property. He jumped into a nearby lake, swam for several minutes and eventually disappeared beneath the surface. Divers later recovered his body around 20 metres from the shore. Authorities have not yet released an official cause of death, and his remains have undergone a post-mortem examination at a hospital in Bangkok, with the final report pending.

The Dun reported that friends also claimed Murphy had recently spoken about faking his own death as part of a documentary project, leading some to initially doubt reports that he had died. Police said neighbours had heard him praying and shouting before officers arrived, while officers reported he became increasingly agitated before entering the lake.

Picture courtesy of The Sun

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14 July 2026

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Talk about an expensive way to fail a swimming test.

Connor's last post on Instagram was made on Saturday, July 4 before his passing. It showed him dressed as an elf, similar to Legolas from Lord of the Rings with a blonde wig and elvish ears. He was dressed in a vibrant blue-green suit with a red-black cape.

It's hard for kids to find a phone booth to change in nowadays

-- Clark Kent

Clear mad as a hatter..........

Friends should have got him mental help

39 minutes ago, Georgealbert said:

American fitness influencer Connor Murphy allegedly injected himself with melted down gold, in the weeks before he drowned while fleeing police in Thailand ...

In related news, the the forensic pathologist who performed the autopsy on Mr. Murphy has resigned his position and was last spotted on Highway 11 near Chiang Mai in a BMW.

Is it just my age or are these influences a strange

lot ?

52 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

Friends should have got him mental help

If he had any real friends he wouldn't be an Influencer. 😀

Gold turned him into a fruit cake!

Just now, Ralf001 said:

Gold turned him into a fruit cake!

I have heard of it being used to treat some arthritis complaints but I had this guy down as on steroids!

One less moron.