Sixteen-year-old Eli Heacock of Glasgow, Kentucky, was like many teenagers, enjoying tennis, cracking jokes, and spending time with his father, whom he considered his best friend. However, his life took a tragic turn when he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound on February 28.
His mother, Shannon Heacock, revealed that local and federal investigators suspect Eli was targeted in a financial sextortion scheme. His father, John Burnett, stated that they had no prior knowledge of such schemes and had no reason to believe Eli was struggling.
Sextortion is a crime where offenders coerce minors into sending sexually explicit images or videos. According to the FBI, once the material is obtained, perpetrators threaten to release it unless more content is provided. In financially motivated sextortion, offenders demand money instead of additional explicit material, which has been linked to an increasing number of suicides.
In Eli’s case, the perpetrators allegedly used artificial intelligence to generate explicit images of him. They then sent these images to Eli, demanding $3,000 and threatening to release the content or harm his loved ones if he did not comply. His mother, who frequently checked his phone, said the exchange happened at night, leaving him in a panic. She later found text messages showing that he had sent part of the money, only to be told by the scammer that it was not enough.
Eli’s twin sister discovered his body and ran to alert their parents. Despite being rushed to the hospital, he succumbed to his injuries on February 28. Upon arrival at the hospital, an FBI detective reviewed Eli’s phone and identified it as a potential sextortion case, immediately placing the device on airplane mode to preserve evidence.
The investigation into Eli’s death is in its early stages, with local and federal authorities examining the case. Meanwhile, Kentucky lawmakers are advancing a bill to classify sextortion as a felony. In 2023 alone, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children received over 26,000 financial sextortion reports, more than double the previous year.
Eli’s mother now urges parents to monitor their children’s online activities, emphasizing that even seemingly happy teenagers may be hiding distress. She warns that the dangers once associated with strangers in white vans have now shifted to the internet.
