My best Friend was doing a PHD in a Biochemistry related field at University College London back in 2003. He was an outgoing person, had a hot girlfriend and lots of friends. He had a what seemed like a great life and an even better future.

One night we went out together (which we did a lot) and had a great night. We went our separate ways about 4am and I we arranged to meet at 5pm the next day.

At 2pm the next afternoon I got a call from his flat mate saying that he had committed suicide. He had access to all kinds of chemicals and substances at the as part of his studies and he had been taking little bits for months and months and making a potent cocktail of poison. He drank the poison and died instantly.

There was no note, no explanation and no reason anyone knew. I was the last person (friend) to see him alive.

I'm hoping you get to this person and that this is just a cry for help. If they really wanted to be dead perhaps they would have done what my good friend did - and do it without any chance of help.

A few years ago at a HS reunion, I found out that one of the most popular and successful guys in our class committed suicide. It shocked everybody who heard about it, but also woke me up to the fact that people who commit suicide often show no outward indication of intent.

Does this seem trollish, or perhaps creepy to anyone else? This is a new account posting a suicide note and asking for help for a "friend of a friend."

This seems like posting to Hacker News to ask for advice because your house is on fire. Oh, and by the way, if anyone happens to be in the neighborhood, could you bring a bucket of water?

Call the police, call a suicide hotline. Get help from real professionals.

This seemed like a place where someone might know him. The police are aware of the situation, but perhaps someone who knows him personally might be able to contact him.

Thanks for the concern... I saw this a minute after the post went up on Facebook and talked to a friend + colleague of BZ. He called Princeton Public Safety about 10 minutes after it was posted, and they informed him that they were on the way and that someone else had already called in. He also called a friend of his (J) who's in the area, and I think J is going over to check on him now.

Great, so assuming this is real the correct channels are acting on this faster and more effectively than any others. Hopefully tomorrow he will wake up a new person. Unfortunately, the post still lives on hacker news and wherever else you mentioned it. Do this person a favor and DO NOT repost his suicide note despite his instructions to do so.

ETA: Sorry, replied to the wrong person. I meant this for the OP.

Yep, that must've been my friend who called in beforehand. Lets hope everything turns out okay.

I think from.bz is the site of the author, so it seems legit

Good job getting in contact with the police. Anytime anyone makes such statements (credible or not), it's the right thing to do.

I hope he is found and gets the help he needs.

This guy? http://twitter.com/#!/billzeller

Has anyone tried using Twitter?

This is sad. Perhaps an appeal for the guy by name would have been enough.