A small-town Alabama mayor and preacher told a friend he was facing "dark days" after a conservative news site published stories that alleged he used an online alter ego to post photos of himself in women’s clothing and pictures of community members on an adult website.
Smiths Station Mayor F.L. "Bubba" Copeland died by suicide Friday, 48 hours after 1819 News published its initial story, which included what it alleges are photos of Copeland in women’s bras, makeup and wigs.
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Another story, published the day Copeland died, alleges that he wrote violent fantasy fiction and posted photos of people from his community to his Reddit page and elsewhere without their consent.
"After watching for a day or two people just relentlessly attacking Bubba [online], I was quite bothered by it, and I just decided to reach out to him," former Phenix City School Superintendent Larry DiChiara told NBC News on Monday.
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"It was the day before he passed away. I said: 'Bubba, keep your head up. You’re a good man with a great heart. Don’t ever forget that. Call me if you need me.' And his response was: 'Thank you. It’s been some dark days.' And I said: 'I’m sure; just hang there. It will pass.'"
Read the full story at NBCNews.com here.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or chat live at 988lifeline.org. You can also visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional support.
