"Within days, however, a recording surfaced that revealed something more sinister. Jay's hanging had been live-streamed on Instagram while online users watched. In messages to Jay, those users suggested the time he should do it - in the middle of the night while his parents slept. They made sure he had the means - asking him, "You got a rope?""
"The case would thrust investigators into the darkest corners of the internet - forums where groups of online predators manipulate vulnerable children, extorting them to share nude photos, mutilate their bodies and, in the worst cases, kill themselves. As the case dragged on, the FBI would come to view these groups as a terrorist threat, estimating that their members have targeted thousands of children."
A 13-year-old boy named Jay Taylor was found hanging behind a grocery store with an iPhone recording his body. The hanging had been live-streamed on Instagram while online users urged him on, suggesting timing, providing encouragement, and asking, "You got a rope?" Messages also urged nudity and self-harm. Local police requested FBI assistance after initial leads stalled. Investigators uncovered forums where predators coerce vulnerable children to share nudes, mutilate themselves, and commit suicide. The FBI estimates thousands of targeted children and is investigating almost 300 people connected to such networks.
Read at The Washington Post
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