14-year-old boy died after being “sextorted” by ‘girl’ online.
The mother of a 14-year-old who tragically took his own life claims he fell victim to an online “sextortion” scam.
Every parent can relate to the numerous worries they have about their children navigating the unpredictable landscape of the internet. Most parents want to know which websites their kids are visiting, what apps they have installed, and which social media platforms they are using. Some take it a step further by actively monitoring their child’s online behavior to protect them from potential dangers.
However, it’s challenging, if not impossible, to be everywhere at once. Kids and young teens can easily fall prey to harmful viral trends, as well as to con artists and scammers.
Caleb Morgan’s mother understands this all too well.
On June 10, Caleb, from El Dorado, Kansas, began chatting with someone he thought was a “14-year-old girl” on TikTok, and the conversation later shifted to Snapchat.
According to the Daily Mail, Caleb’s mother, Morgan, claims that the other person sent compromising images of ‘herself’ to Caleb, who then reciprocated with pictures of his own.
Things took a dark turn when the “girl” demanded that Caleb send her large sums of money to prevent her from leaking his photos. Morgan stated that the stranger made Caleb feel as though his life was ruined due to this mistake.
Caleb ultimately took his own life by shooting himself at his family home.
The teenager’s father was the one to call his mother with the devastating news.
“When I arrived, Caleb was still alive and breathing, but they were unable to revive him, so they eventually stopped trying as nothing was working,” Morgan remembered.
He passed away in the house, and it was incredibly hard for me because I wanted to be with him, but they wouldn’t allow me to go inside as they didn’t want me to witness anything.
I was in a state of hysteria, screaming and pleading with them not to give up on my boy and to let me go to him. I was utterly inconsolable.
The reason behind Caleb’s suicide was initially unclear to his grieving parents until the El Dorado Police Department examined his phone and uncovered the conversations.
Morgan shared: “That was when they reviewed his TikTok messages and showed me the progression. It had taken away my boy’s happiness and hope in just 35 minutes.”
Caleb, his mother mentioned, had even “sent a photo of the gun” in a desperate attempt to end the extortion.
According to the FBI website, a “sextortion” scam involves blackmailing a victim with sexually explicit images to extort money.
“In some instances, the first contact from the criminal may be a threat. The individual might claim to already possess a compromising picture or video of a child that will be shared unless the victim sends more images,” as stated on the site.