Matthew Mindler, a former child actor who starred opposite Paul Rudd in Our Idiot Brother, died by suicide, the Lancaster County Coroner’s Office confirmed to TMZ on Monday. The coroner’s office only provided Mindler’s manner of death, with further details, including an exact cause of death, not yet released. A final ruling on Mindler’s cause of death is pending, with the coroner’s office still awaiting the results of a toxicology report. Mindler was 19.
The tragic new details regarding Mindler’s passing come just days after Manor Township police found Mindler’s body near the Millersville University campus in Pennsylvania on the morning of Saturday, Aug. 28. The discovery came after Mindler had last been heard from after he attended classes on Monday and Tuesday. He was last seen Tuesday at 8:11 p.m. and was then reported missing by the university late Wednesday after he failed to return to his dorm room and did not return calls from his family. Police later released a camera still from his dorm room that showed Mindler, a freshman at Millersville University, wearing a white hoodie with black stripes, a black backpack, jeans, and white sneakers. TMZ reported that police were “being flooded with tips” and were “following up on all leads.”
Mindler’s body was found near campus just days after he was reported missing. Millersville University announced the tragic news in an email to its student body on Saturday reading, “It is with a grieving heart that I let you know of the death of 19-year-old Matthew Mindler from Hellertown, Pennsylvania, a first-year student at Millersville University. Our thoughts of comfort and peace are with his friends and family during this difficult time,” according to Variety. In a statement, Millersville University President Daniel A. Wubah said, “This is a time of grief for the family, our campus and the community. I ask that the campus community come together to support each other, and our students, during this difficult time.” At the time, university officials also added that students in need of support can call the Millersville Counseling Center at 7176-871-7821, Health Services at 717-871-525-, the Center for Education and Promotion at 717-871-4141, and chaplains at the Campus Ministries.
Mindler was best known for his role as River, the son of Liz (Emily Mortimer) and Dylan (Steve Coogan), in the 2011 film Our Idiot Brother. The film also starred Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Banks and Zooey Deschanel. Mindler also starred as Halloween Boy in an episode of the 2009 series As The World Turns and the short films Frequency and Solo. His other credits include appearances in episodes of Late Show with David Letterman and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, with his final acting credit being the 2016 television movie Chad: An American Boy.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741-741.