Boy, 16, dies by suicide over AI-generated nude photos threat

Elijah Heacock was a happy, vibrant teen and showed no signs of depression or suicidal tendencies. A fake nude photo was generated using AI and used against him in a sextortion scam.

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He received the nude of himself, with a threatening text, demanding he pay Rs 2.5 lakh ($3,000) to stop it from being sent to friends and family, repots cbsnews.

The threat pushed him to take his own life.

Over three months after the suicide, the family of Elijah Heacock, 16, are looking for justice.

@EliManning this is our son. Elijah Manning Heacock 16. 13 weeks ago he lost his life due to sextortion. Leaving his family and twin devastated! We need to stop this evil. We need to make sure no child ever has to endure this evil again. pic.twitter.com/Ecgi6fCDi2

— Shannon Heacock (@footballmum66) May 30, 2025

According to the police, Elijah died on February 28 after he shot himself.

His parents, John Burnett and Shannon Heacock, went through his smartphone and found messages where his son was a victim of the scam, a term that they had never heard until the investigation started, says report

Taking to X, Shannon wrote: "Our son was a victim of sextortion. The mule is in Texas. They don’t want to press charges on this mule. They say people would feel sorry for him! Our son was 16!!."

@GregAbbott_TX our son was a victim of sextortion. The mule is in Texas. They don’t want to press charges on this mule. They say people would feel sorry for him! Our son was 16!! pic.twitter.com/9lFmS3ylxM

— Shannon Heacock (@footballmum66) June 2, 2025

Sextortion is a form of online blackmail where predators threaten to share explicit images of victims unless they comply with demands for more photos, sexual acts, or money.

Since 2021, at least 20 youths have died by suicide due to sextortion.