Family says son driven to suicide after 'sextortion' scam

Family says son driven to suicide after ‘sextortion’ scam

One Michigan teen died by suicide after falling victim to 'sextortion'
Three Nigerian men now face extradition in connection to the case
The teen’s parents are urging others to limit kids' social media usage

Updated: Jun 19, 2023 / 11:04 PM CDT

(NewsNation) — Warning: This story discusses suicide and may be disturbing to some readers.

Less than six hours. That’s how long Jordan DeMay’s parents say it took from the initial message from scammers to the end of their son’s life.

The Michigan teen committed suicide in March of last year after falling victim to a “sextortion” scheme that involved persuading young men to send explicit images of themselves and demanding money to keep the pictures private. The Nigerian men accused of conning him now face extradition to the U.S.

“Jordan received his first text message from what he thought to be a young lady at approximately 10:15 p.m. on a Thursday night. From that text message, he took his own life before 4 a.m. that morning. So just under six hours from that initial help to the end,” Jordan’s father, John DeMay, told NewsNation host Leland Vittert on Monday.

DeMay said he had no idea his son was facing fears of what could happen if his images were released.

“There was zero chance to interfere, interject or catch any of this,” DeMay said.

According to reports, Jordan was a 17-year-old football star at Marquette Senior High School. His mother, Jennifer Buta, never thought she would lose her son.

“You think, this will never happen to my kid. And in a broader perspective, you never think that you will lose your child over a senseless act like this,” Buta said.

In the wake of Jordan’s death, DeMay and Buta are urging other parents to limit social media usage for their children.

“We need to talk to kids about the dangers of social media, being online and the risks that they have being there and then also the parents, letting them know that this stuff is going on. Most parents don’t really understand what’s happening online,” DeMay said.

WLUC-TV reports that Samuel Ogoshi, 22; Samson Ogoshi, 20; and Ezekiel Ejehem Robert, 19, all of Lagos, Nigeria, face charges connected to Jordan’s death.

The FBI says anyone who feels they are being exploited or the victim of a crime should report it by calling a local FBI field office, 800-CALL-FBI, or report it online at tips.fbi.gov.

If you or someone you know needs help, resources or someone to talk to, you can find it at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline website or by calling 800-273-8255. People are available to talk to 24/7.