Mom issues warning after her son, 14, thought he was flirting with girl online before being found dead 35 minutes later
ArchiveFirst published July 2, 2025. It may not reflect later developments.
Caleb Moore, a 14-year-old from El Dorado, Kansas, died by suicide after falling victim to an online sextortion scam. Believing he was chatting with a girl his age on TikTok, Caleb moved the conversation to Snapchat—where the person sent fake explicit images and pressured him to share his own.
Soon after, the scammer demanded money, threatening to leak the images. Caleb, feeling overwhelmed and hopeless, tragically took his own life with a gun at home. His mother, Morgan, shared: “They stole his happiness and hope in a 35-minute span.”
Police found the disturbing messages on his phone, including a photo Caleb sent of the gun in a desperate attempt to stop the threats. The FBI confirmed the case fits the pattern of sextortion scams, which target teens for money through blackmail.
Morgan now urges children to speak up if they ever feel unsafe online. “You have to tell someone,” she said. A GoFundMe has been set up to support Caleb’s grieving family. Authorities continue to push for awareness to protect other teens from similar harm.
