The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension used a Tuesday Facebook post to sound a blunt warning to parents about online "sextortion," spotlighting the death of 17-year-old Jordan DeMay of Marquette, Michigan. DeMay died by suicide in 2022 after being pulled into an Instagram extortion scheme, and his story is now at the center of a broader push to get families talking about online threats and how to respond. His parents have stepped into the public eye, sharing their grief in hopes of keeping other teens alive.
What Happened In Marquette
Federal prosecutors say DeMay was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot on March 25, 2022, after someone posing as a girl on Instagram convinced him to send explicit photos, then turned on him for cash. As outlined by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Michigan, the defendants allegedly used hacked social accounts to build collages that paired explicit images with photos from victims' own profiles, then threatened to blast those images to family members and classmates if they did not pay up.
Jordan's father later described that night to Local 4, saying he woke to the sound of a gunshot around 3:45 a.m. and found his son in his bedroom. He told the station, "These three guys from the the other side of the planet came into my home while we were sleeping and murdered my son." The family says Jordan had been groomed over hours, then frantically deleted messages and accounts before he died. They now travel and speak publicly about what happened, hoping their warning sticks with other parents and teens. ClickOnDetroit
Charges And Sentences
Federal indictments ultimately named three men, identified as Samuel Ogoshi, Samson Ogoshi and Ezekiel Ejehem Robert, in what prosecutors describe as a sextortion conspiracy that hit more than 100 victims across the country. The two Ogoshi brothers were extradited to the United States, where they pleaded guilty and received identical 210-month prison sentences. The U.S. Department of Justice announced those sentences in September 2024. Prosecutors say the scheme zeroed in on teenagers and young men and involved charges that carry lengthy mandatory minimum prison terms.
Why Authorities Are Sounding The Alarm
Federal officials say financial sextortion has exploded in recent years, with schemes that can flip in minutes from flirty small talk to hardball threats and blackmail. The FBI and partner agencies have issued national public-safety alerts explaining how criminals use hacked or fake social media accounts to solicit explicit images, then demand money or threaten to expose the images when victims hesitate or refuse. Authorities urge victims and families to report cases right away rather than try to handle the situation alone, per FBI.
State Outreach And Resources
The Minnesota Department of Public Safety’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension runs a resource page aimed at victim survivors of predatory crimes, including sextortion, and has been circulating talking points and referral links for parents, schools and youth organizations. The BCA’s Facebook post this week highlighted those tools and pointed readers to federal guidance on how to report sextortion and work to get images taken down. More information is available from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety (BCA) and in the BCA Facebook post embedded above.
Local Events And Family Advocacy
Jordan’s father, John DeMay, is set to serve as the keynote speaker at a free sextortion parent-education event tomorrow in Mishicot, co-sponsored by the Department of Justice. Organizers say families will hear directly from law enforcement and relatives of victims about red flags to watch for, how sextortion typically unfolds online and what to do if a child gets pulled into a scheme. They say the program will focus on practical steps parents can take right now to better protect kids who use social media.
Resources And What To Do If A Child Is Targeted
Experts say that if a young person is being blackmailed, the first rule is not to pay. They recommend preserving screenshots, chat logs and account details, then contacting local police as soon as possible. Law enforcement directs parents and victims to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children’s CyberTipline for help getting images removed and to the FBI for formal reporting and investigative support. For anyone in an immediate mental health crisis, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is open 24/7.
Jordan DeMay’s death has become a galvanizing case for parents, schools and law enforcement officials who want sextortion to be treated less like a shameful secret and more like the crime that it is. His family has said that seeing perpetrators brought to justice offers some measure of accountability, but nothing that happens in court can undo their loss. The Minnesota BCA’s renewed warning, along with a growing roster of community events, reflects a push for frank conversations, better tech awareness and clear reporting paths so that other families do not find themselves in the same nightmare, per ClickOnDetroit.
