Honestly, I don't see any reason why he needs to do that. There is no reason to doubt his story, so far. It's not like he came up with this story to ask for donations or anything like that. He just want help to figure out what happened.
OP, I see that you reported the address to etherscan.io and posted a comment there. Be careful of those who replied to you pretending they can help you recover your lost money. They are scammers, do not trust them!
Thank you for the advice about signing a message to verify my ownership. However, as khaled0111 pointed out, the intent of my post was not to ask for donations or mislead anyone, but to understand what happened and seek help. That said, in an effort to address any lingering doubts, I have followed the advice and signed a message which you can find here:
https://etherscan.io/verifySig/22663.
I'm well aware of the various scams circulating and want to reassure everyone that I'm approaching this with a high degree of caution.
I sincerely appreciate the support and guidance from this community during this incredibly stressful and challenging time