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Well, most newspapers these days have websites, so if they published an obituary (in paper form), it may have also been published online. Although if it's a smaller newspaper, and/or if it would have cost the family extra money to have it published online, it's possible that it wouldn't end up on the net, even if it was published in paper form. Also, whether or not any obituary is published at all, in any form, is usually up to the family, not the town or the newspaper where the person lived. Plenty of families choose not to publish any obituary at all. So, it'd be worth looking for an obituary for your friend, but if you don't find one, you shouldn't necessarily take that as a sign that you've been lied to. It could just mean his family didn't publish an obituary for him, or that his obituary wasn't published online.

I know there are also websites that are pretty much dedicated to obituaries; anyone can publish one, and then people who knew the person can comment on it and share photos and stuff. Sort of like social media sites, except dedicated to memorialising the dead. If anybody's made a page like that for him, it should show up in your search (so long as it's been published under his real name). I guess someone could technically fake something like that, but if it has comments from other people, that would lend it some validity.

Those are really the only things I can think of to do to try to verify the information you have. If that doesn't yield any results, I think all you can do is keep an ear to the ground in case you or anyone else hears from him or notices anything else suspicious. That's all I can think of, unfortunately.

Wow, wasn't expecting that. You might be able to narrow it down if you know where he lived...even if you only know the state, that still might help. Also, the date of his (supposed) death would probably help.

I wish I knew. sad If I were you, though, I'd probably believe the information I had unless/until something pops up that suggests otherwise. There's really no point in being angry at your friend when you don't have any proof that he even did the thing you're angry about, y'know? Yes, it's possible for someone to fake a suicide to online friends, but just because other people have done it doesn't mean he did. You're he one who knew him, and if you don't think that's something he would do, you're probably right.

I know it sucks, because either way, the outcome is pretty shitty. Either he really did take his own life, which is incredibly sad, or he's playing some sort of disgusting, cruel joke, which would just be shameful and infuriating. But I don't think you should let the possibility of the latter tarnish your memory of your friend. As I said, just because it's technically possible doesn't mean that's what happened. I didn't know him, but just from what you've said about him, it doesn't seem like he's the sort of person who'd be likely to fake his own death just to see how people reacted. He sounds like he was a pretty caring, genuine fellow, in spite of his own personal demons.

Tha is true Enj Meowy... no reason to be angry at someone who might have not done anything. Raven though he knew Ryland enough to know tha he wouldn't commit suicide. No idea meow.

Catch 22. You are right either way not very happy... Raven is going to wait to see if he ever logs back on to Skype so Raven will message to see. Raven doesn't know ANYONE who would fake their own death just to see how others react. Raven does know others tha have said they will kill themselves if they found out someone their cared about died. Ryland did have a lot of problems, but yes he was very caring.

RyugaHayabusa makes a good point, I kinda forgot this happened, like, yesterday.

It is true that people who are always voicing suicidal ideations usually want to be talked out of suicide more than they want to commit it, but you also have no way of knowing what may have happened between when he logged off in your last conversation and when you talked to his step-brother the next day (?). I guess therein lies the problem, but I guess my point is that something awful (or at least something he perceived to be awful) could have happened to push him over the edge. That doesn't seem like a terribly far-fetched possibility.

I think all you can really do is keep an eye on Skype, and try to check the obits again in a week or so.