A despondent California man received help early Friday morning thanks to a band of dedicated Internet commenters, a Colorado resident and a fast-acting sheriff’s deputy.
A longtime out-of-work Fremont, Calif., man posted comments under a YouTube video Thursday night, suggesting he was going to commit suicide the next day. The video’s creator — who goes by the screen name “concernedinKY” — alerted Kim Doyle Wille, a 54-year-old El Jebel woman, who then called the Eagle County Sheriff’s Office for help.
The sheriff’s deputy, with the aid of the FBI in Denver, traced the comments to a residence in Fremont. Police there contacted the 41-year-old man and took him to a local hospital.
“They probably saved the life of someone they didn’t even know or may never meet,” said Eagle County sheriff’s spokeswoman Shannon Cordingly.
Cordingly said the man posted his comments on a YouTube video addressed to “99ers,” those out of work for more than 99 weeks and whose unemployment benefits have been exhausted.
The video — which so far has several hundred views — encouraged people to not give up hope and included a phone number for a suicide-prevention hotline.
“I have no choice but to give up,” the comment read. “My rent is due … and I have 18 bucks and change in my pocket.
“Conceivably, tomorrow will be (the) last time I wake up,” the commenter continued. “I thank God that I don’t have anyone counting on me for their survival.”
Commenters jumped in almost immediately to offer prayers and to encourage him to seek help.
Much of the 99er movement is loosely organized on Internet message boards’ social networks, including Facebook and Twitter. Wille, a self-made advocate for them, says many choose to remain anonymous because of the stigma associated with long-term unemployment.
“People are so scared about being discovered and eliminating any chance of getting a job,” she said. “Few put their real names out there.”
After reading the man’s comments, Wille called the Eagle County Sheriff’s Office about 9:30 p.m. Thursday seeking help.
The Eagle deputy called the FBI in Denver because he knew federal authorities would be able to “get an emergency disclosure address as quickly as possible,” Cordingly said.
Police, Wille said, obtained the IP or Internet Protocol address of the commenter through YouTube, then, with that, got an address from Comcast. Wille said the man was taken to a hospital about 4:30 a.m. Friday.
“It was certainly the type of thing where time was of the essence,” Cordingly said. “It was definitely pretty awesome teamwork.”
The Argus newspaper in Fremont, Calif., contributed to this report.
Kieran Nicholson: 303-954-1822 or knicholson@denverpost.com
