Boy, 15, dies hours after being caught in sextortion scheme

Warning: This article contains discussion of suicide and other material which some readers may find distressing.

The heartbroken parents of a 15-year-old boy have told how he took his own life less than three hours after being targeted by sextortion scammers.

Bryce Tate was found dead at his family home in the US state of West Virginia on 6 November, a short time after blackmailers began demanding money from him.

The schoolboy had been duped into sending nude photos to who he thought was a 17-year-old girl, only to then discover it was a sick scammer - who threatened to release the images if he didn't pay up.

"They shamed him relentlessly, convincing him that this one mistake had ruined his life forever," his devastated dad Adam Tate said in a heartfelt Facebook post.

"Bryce, feeling trapped with no way out and believing his world was destroyed, was manipulated into taking his own life."

Bryce Tate's parents have been left devastated by the 15-year-old's death (Facebook)

He explained that the teenager was warned that the pictures would be leaked to his family and friends if he didn't hand over $500 (£374.13).

"My son had 30 freaking dollars and he’s like, ‘Sir, I’ll give you my last $30'," Adam told the New York Post. "And these cowards wouldn’t take it."

Bryce was found dead at 7.10pm on 6 November - which is less than three hours after he first received a text message from an unknown number.

Kanawha County Sheriff's Office (KCSO) found a disturbing message exchange between the young lad and the scammer, before realising he had been 'targeted in an online sextortion scheme'.

According to the FBI, predators posing as someone of a similar age before 'coercing victims into taking and sending sexually explicit photos and videos'.

They then 'immediately demand payment or threaten to release the photo to the victim’s family and friend', and most victims are typically teenage boys aged between 14 and 17.

Parents have been urged to educate their offspring about the dangers of trusting people online, as victims often 'feel alone, embarrassed, and afraid to seek help' and tragically, a large number take their own lives.

His dad Adam says scammers convinced the teen he had 'ruined his life forever' (Facebook)

Bryce believed that he was chatting to a 17-year-old girl who lived locally and shared mutual friends with him, according to his father.

Explaining how they managed to convince his son, Adam said: "They knew which gym he worked out at, they knew a couple of his best friends and name-dropped them.

"They knew he played basketball for Nitro High School. They built his trust to where he believed that this was truly somebody in this area."

Police found that in the 20 minutes before Bryce took his own life, the sextortionists messaged him a whopping 120 times.

"They say it’s suicide, but in my book it is 100 percent murder," Adam said. "They’re godless demons, in my opinion. Just cowards, awful individuals, worse than criminals."

The dad is urging parents to 'be aware of the threat' of sextortion in today's society, saying that people 'have to have that conversation' with their kids.

The teen died on 6 November (Facebook)

He paid tribute to his 'hilarious, funny, goofy' son, saying: "If you were around him and you were having a bad day, you could not help but get in a better mood and smile and laugh and just enjoy that light that he was."

Sgt. Jeremy Burns, from the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, also issued a warning to teens about keeping their social media accounts private.

"Whether it’s Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat or TikTok, make sure it’s set so that you have to authorise who follows you," he added. "Don’t leave it [public].

"Don’t ever send any sexual pictures. Just don’t do it. Don’t send photos to anybody you don’t know."

The FBI is now investigating the circumstances surrounding Bryce's tragic death.

If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence regarding the welfare of a child, contact the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000, 10am-8pm Monday to Friday. If you are a child seeking advice and support, call Childline for free on 0800 1111, 24/7.

If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, you can contact Victim Support on 08 08 16 89 111, start a live chat, or visit the website, all of which are available 24 hours seven days a week.

If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, please don’t suffer alone. Call Samaritans for free on their anonymous 24-hour phone line on 116 123.

Topics: US News, Crime, Sex and Relationships, Mental Health, Social Media