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.
By Finn Blackwell of RNZ
Warning: This story discusses 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).
In September 2025, Ruch's ex-wife with whom he had four children and was estranged had contacted him over child support he had not been paying.
"Doug sent some money and mentioned that his health was declining, and he believed he would die within six months," coroner Fitzgibbon said.
"On September 14 2025, Doug set up a new GoFundMe to fund travel to Australia."
A month later Ruch messaged his ex-wife again, saying that he only had "a few months" left to live.
In December 2025, Ruch's philanthropy and diagnosis came under scrutiny. He had deactivated his fundraisers and shut down his social media pages.
Days before his death, Ruch travelled to Auckland and checked into a central city hotel. Local journalist David Farrier published an article on December 17 titled Beware of Doug.
"A GoFundMe conman tricked the USA. Now he's coming for NZ," the sub-heading read.
Ruch had phoned his hotel's reception raising concerns about his personal details being released after an unsaved number sent him a link to Farrier's article.
The receptionist assured him his details wouldn't be shared.
"Doug said this was 'good', as he had 'dangerous internet stalkers' who might be looking for him," coroner Fitzgibbon said.
The next morning, Ruch was dead. Details of his death cannot be reported, as the coroner has ruled it a suicide.
A post mortem revealed no evidence of prostate cancer
"Doug's ex-wife recalled that he had a history of anxiety, for which he was prescribed medication, and had an incident of suicidal intent in 2019 following their separation," the coroner said.
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