What we know after 14-year-old boy is found dead 35 minutes after 'flirting with girl' online
Topics: News, US News, TikTok, Social Media, Snapchat
Gerrard Kaonga
Featured Image Credit: Kennedy News and Media
Topics: News, US News, TikTok, Social Media, Snapchat
Warning: This article contains discussion of suicide which some readers may find distressing
A mother has spoken of her anguish after her 14-year-old son took his own life after falling victim to a ‘sextortion’ scam on social media.
The 14-year-old was identified as Caleb Moore, a teen from El Dorado, Kansas, and his mother has now issued a warning to other parents about the scams that can occur online.
Mom Morgan Moore has spoken out about the incident and revealed what police told her.
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What she did know was that her son had shot himself but wasn’t aware of the story behind his suicide after she heard the tragic news.
Morgan has now said that her son was flirting with a person online who he believed to be a girl around his age.
The ‘girl’ reportedly sent compromising pictures of herself to Caleb, with the teen doing the same only for the conversation to take a turn afterwards.
Caleb’s mother said police found messages between Caleb and the person that showed that they allegedly began threatening the teen to leak the photos unless he sent large sums of money.
They were also able to discover that the pair first began exchanging messages on TikTok before moving on to Snapchat, where the images were allegedly exchanged.
In that moment, Morgan believes her son felt like he had nowhere to turn and he shot himself. She said that he had even 'sent a photo of the gun' to try and stop the threats.
Morgan claims Caleb's conversation with the stranger saw her son's 'happiness and hope destroyed in 35 minutes'.
TikTok told LADbible Group that it is committed to making the platform a safe and positive experience for teenagers and further stated that direct messaging is unavailable to users under 16.
It is unclear if Caleb had used his correct age to access the platform.
However, Morgan has said both TikTok and Snapchat should have more effective monitoring on their platform to stop fraudulent accounts like this existing.
Snapchat has said it offers 'strong safety settings' for its users aged between 13-17 and has a Family Safety Hub on its website designed to help families navigate Snapchat safely and confidently.
Morgan said: "These people intentionally manipulate what a 14-year-old boy would be vulnerable about - their sexuality, the family's wellbeing and social status.
"I don't think Caleb thought that we wouldn't help him, I think he felt like we wouldn't be able to help him or fix it and it was going to be his fault and none of these things are true.
"The most devastating loss I can imagine is losing one of your kids and now I'm in that situation and it was all so avoidable.
"It's so heartless and anonymous. The police are doing what they can but the reality of them tracking down the individual is really low."
A GoFundMe has been set up to help support Caleb's family and cover funeral costs, which you can donate to here.
LADbible Group has contacted Snapchat for further comment.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in a mental health crisis, help is available through Mental Health America. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org. You can also reach the Crisis Text Line by texting MHA to 741741.
If you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call National Suicide Prevention Helpline on 1-800-273-TALK (8255). The Helpline is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.