Police link suicide of 12-year-old Prince George, B.C., boy to online sexual extortion
RCMP urge parents to talk to their children about staying safe online
Police in Prince George, B.C., are warning about the dangers of sexual extortion after the suicide of a 12-year-old boy in their community.
The preteen took his own life on Oct. 12 and investigators have since determined his actions were in response to online sextortion, according to an RCMP news release. Police are still working to identify a suspect.
"We are calling for parents and caregivers to be honest with their youth about the dangers of online activity, especially if they are engaging in chats with people they don't know in real life," RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Jennifer Cooper said.
"While not every case of online sextortion will end in tragedy, the consequences of this kind of activity can follow a youth for their entire life, which needs to be something we talk about openly with our kids."
CBC News is not naming the child or identifying the family because, so far, CBC has not spoken directly with the parents.
Rise in sexual extortion of teenagers: police
Sextortion is a practice of demanding money or sexual favours from someone by threatening to expose intimate images and videos of the victim, or other evidence of online sexual activity.
Prince George RCMP say reports of this type of incident have been rising every year, and teens between the ages of 13 and 18 are the most common targets. So far this year, the detachment has received 62 reports of online sextortion, up from 56 in 2022.
Cooper told CBC News police are looking for a suspect, but investigations into sextortion can be lengthy as they may extend beyond B.C.'s borders.
RCMP say they made the case public after consulting with the child's family, who want to raise awareness about the risks of online sextortion.
"They felt as if they can at least reach one more person with this information that parents need to be involved in their kids' online lives," Cooper said.
Cooper said RCMP have worked closely with the families of the child's friends "to make sure that this isn't something that went beyond this one family."
Police are advising young people to immediately cut off contact with anyone who attempts to extort them in this way, and deactivate the accounts they have been using to communicate with that person.
Tips for parents
Tiana Sharifi, CEO of the Vancouver-based Exploitation Education Institute, says while scammers often focus on older people, many are now recognizing that they can take advantage of younger people, particularly targeting young males for money.
"They're typically right now targeting males because there's such a shame and stigma around male victims of sexual exploitation," Sharifi said.
"In addition to that, we don't typically raise our males with the idea that they can be sexually abused themselves, that they can be predated on. So when they're on things like gaming platforms or social media websites, they have their guards down more."
Stacy Ashton with the B.C. Crisis Line Network says it's important for parents to find a way to start conversations with their children about their online lives.
"A lot of that has to do with, 'I know there's a lot of stuff online and I can't imagine that you haven't seen things that have bothered you or disturbed you or concerned you and it might be embarrassing to talk about, but let's figure out how we can talk about that," Ashton said.
Jonny Morris, CEO of the B.C. division of the Canadian Mental Health Association, echoed that it's important for young people to be able to confide in parents or another trusted adult.
"So much of this can happen in private spaces where trusted adults aren't around to take care so we need to keep those doors open," Morris said.
Victims are being advised to report any sextortion attempts to police, and seek help and advice through NeedHelpNow.ca and Cybertip.ca.
If you or someone you know is struggling, here's where to get help:
- Talk Suicide Canada: 1-833-456-4566 (phone) | 45645 (text between 4 p.m. and midnight ET).
- Kids Help Phone: 1-800-668-6868 (phone), live chat counselling on the website.
- Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention: Find a 24-hour crisis centre.
- This guide from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health outlines how to talk about suicide with someone you're worried about.
With files from Andrew Kurjata and BC Today