In response to a Barren County teenager’s suicide connected to sextortion, the Glasgow Police Department has issued a statement on the increasingly prevalent crime.
Elijah “Eli” Manning Heacock, of Glasgow, committed suicide on February 28. During the investigation into his death, Glasgow PD detectives found threatening messages on the teen’s phone indicating that he was being extorted for $3,000.
Elijah was a student at Caverna High School.
“I don’t want another mother to ever face this,” Elijah’s mother Shannon Heacock told WBKO.com. “I don’t want another sibling or father (to go through this). I don’t want another school district to face this like we have.”
State Sen. Julie R. Adams, R-Louisville, sponsored Senate Bill 73 that makes sextortion a felony. Furthermore, if the person being extorted commits suicide, the sextortion suspect can be charged with murder. The bill was unanimously passed in both the House and Senate.
Gov. Andy Beshear has already signed the measure into law.
The Glasgow Police Department statement on sextortion:
As Law Enforcement continues to see an increase in the number of cases involving children and teens being threatened and coerced into sending explicit images online—a crime called sextortion, we want to help provide some information.
Overview
Sextortion can start on any site, app, messaging platform, or game where people meet and communicate. In some cases, the first contact from the criminal will be a threat. The person may claim to already have a revealing picture or video of a child that will be shared if the victim does not send more pictures.
More often, however, this crime starts when young people believe they are communicating with someone their own age who is interested in a relationship or with someone who is offering something of value.
After the criminals have one or more videos or pictures, they threaten to publish that content, or they threaten violence, to get the victim to produce more images. The shame, fear, and confusion children feel when they are caught in this cycle often prevents them from asking for help or reporting the abuse. Caregivers and young people should understand how the crime occurs and openly discuss online safety.
Financial Sextortion
Law Enforcement has recently seen an increase in financial sextortion cases targeting minor victims in the U.S.
Financial sextortion is different from traditional sextortion.
In these cases, the offender receives sexually explicit material from the child and then threatens to release the compromising material unless the victim sends money and/or gift cards. The amount requested varies, and the offender often releases the victim’s sexually explicit material regardless of whether or not they receive payment. This increasing threat has resulted in an alarming number of deaths by suicide.
(Photo: Elijah “Eli” Manning Heacock, courtesy of A.F. Crow & Son Funeral Home)
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
