URGENT UPDATE: A father is sounding the alarm on a terrifying new trend after his 15-year-old son, Bryce Tate, tragically died by suicide, becoming a victim of a sophisticated sextortion scheme. This heartbreaking incident occurred on November 6, 2024, just hours after Bryce received a threatening text from an unknown number.
At approximately 4:30 p.m., Bryce returned home from the gym, where he had just enjoyed a typical day. Within hours, he was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. “They say it’s suicide, but in my book, it is 100% murder,” Bryce’s father, Adam Tate, told the New York Post. “They’re godless demons, in my opinion. Just cowards, awful individuals, worse than criminals.”
Adam revealed that Bryce fell prey to an insidious sextortion plot targeting teenage boys. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children reported a staggering 33,000 incidents of child sextortion in 2024 alone. Scammers exploit public social media profiles, posing as flirtatious teenagers to build trust with their victims.
“They acted like a local 17-year-old girl. They knew which gym he worked out at, they knew a couple of his best friends, and name-dropped them,” Adam explained. “They built his trust to where he believed that this was truly somebody in this area.” The deceit culminated in a demand for $500, a sum Bryce could not afford.
“My son had 30 freaking dollars, and he’s like, ‘Sir, I’ll give you my last $30.’ And these cowards wouldn’t take it,” Adam recalled, visibly shaken. When Bryce was unable to pay, the scammers escalated their threats, compelling him to take his own life, telling him, “because your life is already over.”
In his final moments, Bryce received over 120 texts in a short period, a tactic used by scammers to keep victims engaged and overwhelmed. “The FBI has seen a huge increase in the number of sextortion cases involving children and teens being threatened and coerced into sending explicit images online,” stated Bradford Arick, an FBI public affairs specialist.
Bryce’s tragic story echoes that of other young victims. In 2022, 16-year-old Walker Montgomery from Mississippi also lost his life after being targeted by a scammer. Similar tragedies have befallen other teens, including Waylon Scheffer, Ryan Last, and Jordan DeMay, all of whom were coerced into sending explicit material, leading to devastating consequences.
Authorities are actively investigating Bryce’s case, and Adam is advocating for legislative change in West Virginia. He is pushing for Bryce’s Law, which would impose stricter penalties for crimes that lead to self-harm or suicide. “You cannot find a closer family than me, my wife, and my son,” Adam lamented. “But I just want people to know that having that safe space and that close family is not enough. They have to be aware of what the threat is.”
As the investigation continues, Adam urges parents to engage in open discussions with their children about the dangers of online interactions. The urgency of this message is compounded by the alarming rise in sextortion cases, with children as young as 11 years old falling victim.
This tragic event serves as a stark reminder of the real dangers lurking online. Parents are encouraged to monitor their children’s digital interactions and maintain open lines of communication about potential threats. The fight against sextortion is far from over, and families must remain vigilant to protect their loved ones.
