Denton Loudermill Jr. watched every Kansas City Chiefs game at his sister's house with his family. The Kansas native and his late father were diehard fans.
So, when the 2024 Super Bowl champions' victory parade coincided with the one-year anniversary of his dad's death, Loudermill thought attending would be healing.
He donned a Chiefs-red sweatshirt, matching sweatpants and Jordan sneakers that his sister, Reba Paul, said were the only "flashy" thing about him.
By nightfall, images of Loudermill in that same sweatsuit were plastered across social media, with internet sleuths falsely accusing him of a shooting at the parade that killed one and injured 22 others.
Many posts, including one amplified by now-Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins and state senator Rick Brattin, misidentified Loudermill as "Sahil Omar" -- a fictional "illegal immigrant" hoaxers have linked to multiple atrocities.
The misinformation sent the father of three into a year-long spiral of paranoia. He lost weight. He developed post-traumatic stress disorder. At the car wash where he worked, he saw customers compare him to photos online.
Eventually, Loudermill sought therapy, but he never made his third appointment in April. That morning, he was found unresponsive on his living-room floor. He was 49.
An autopsy report said Loudermill died accidentally from cocaine, synthetic marijuana and alcohol. It mentioned PTSD and depression and that he was drinking in excess the previous two days, but said he...
Denton Loudermill Jr. watched every Kansas City Chiefs game at his sister's house with his family. The Kansas native and his late father were diehard fans. So, when the 2024 Super Bowl champions' ...