Wisconsin Mother’s Tragic Story after Losing Son to ‘Sextortion’

A Wisconsin mother is sharing a tragic story after she lost her son to a “sextortion” scam. Brittney Bird confirms the 15-year-old was targeted online earlier this month and later died by suicide. The FBI is investigating, but few details have been released. A memorial service for Bradyn Bohn is planned this week. 

Officials describe sextortion as an attempt to coerce kids, often boys, who believe they are communicating with someone they trust. The scammers eventually request explicit images. Once they have the content, there are scare tactics — unless the victim pays them, the photos or videos will be released to their parents or teachers. The threats continue with demands to carry out actions ranging from self-harm to suicide.

He did this because he was forced to.

Brittney Bird writing about her son’s death

One father is traveling across the country to share his family’s story. John DeMay says he lost his son due to a similar crime. The former police officer from Michigan is working to raise awareness about sextortion scams and will be speaking in Beaver Dam on Wednesday, March 12, starting at 6:30 pm. The community event is being hosted at Beaver Dam High School on Gould Street and is open to all. DeMay’s message focuses on helping families understand how quickly a sextortion threat can escalate. 

Sadly, these aren’t the first reports of this type of tragic scam. Federal officials say thousands of sextortion complaints have been filed in the past few years. Meantime, the FBI is re-issuing public safety warnings about online sextortion cases.

NATIONAL ALERT: The FBI, in partnership with Homeland Security Investigations and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, is issuing a national public safety alert regarding an explosion in incidents of children and teens being coerced into sending explicit images online and extorted for additional explicit material or money—a crime known as sextortion.

Over the past year, law enforcement agencies have received 7,000 reports related to the online sextortion of minors, resulting in at least 3,000 victims, primarily boys. More than a dozen sextortion victims were reported to have died by suicide.

Sextortion schemes occur in online environments where young people feel most comfortable—using common social media sites, gaming sites, or video chat applications that feel familiar and safe. On these platforms, predators often use fake accounts and target minors.

Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, claims it continues to work on new features to stop sextortion attempts. This includes blocking scam accounts from seeing other’s follower lists, and alerting users when posting or messaging with someone who appears to be a scammer from outside the US. 

Bohn was a student of the D.C. Everest School District in Wausau. Writing on social media, his mother called him a vibrant teen who loved his life, friends, family, baseball, and skiing. Bird also emphasized her son was happy and there weren’t any pre-existing suicidal thoughts.

“He did this because he was forced to,” Bird wrote in social media post about her son.

But there’s a positive message from Bird, too. It includes the hope her son’s story can change the world by bringing people together to fight against what could be a life-or-death scam.

RESOURCES: 

The 988 hotline is for anyone struggling with a mental health crisis. Call or text the confidential number anytime. 

A nonprofit organization, Take It Down, will remove sexually explicit images of minors online for free.

And if you or someone you know believes they are a victim of sextortion, report the scam to the FBI by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI or visiting the tips website: tips.fbi.gov.