A 15-year-old West Virginian teen was found dead in his father’s man cave just three hours after allegedly receiving a threatening text message online. The incident involves Bryce Tate, a sophomore from Cross Lanes, West Virginia.
According to family members, Bryce began his day on November 6 as he typically would: returning home from gym, eating tacos prepared by his mother, and playing basketball outside. At 4:37 p.m., he received an unsolicited text message from an unknown number.
Three hours later, Bryce was discovered with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. His father, Adam Tate, stated that while authorities have labeled the death as suicide, “in my book it is 100% murder.” He described the perpetrators as “godless demons,” adding they were “just cowards, awful individuals, worse than criminals.”
Adam Tate said his son was a victim of a sophisticated sextortion scheme targeting teenage boys. The scam involves online predators who scour public social media profiles to identify victims, then pose as flirtatious peers who know the target’s personal details—such as gym routines, close friends, and school affiliations.
“The scammers acted like a local 17-year-old girl,” Adam Tate explained. “They knew which gym he worked out at, they knew a couple of his best friends and name-dropped them. They knew he played basketball for Nitro High School.”
Authorities reported that the photos Bryce received were not AI-generated but likely depicted a real minor who was also a victim. After initially demanding illicit images from the teen, the scammers would extort victims for money by threatening to share explicit content with family and friends.
Adam Tate recounted his son’s final exchange: “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.”
The FBI has noted a significant rise in sextortion cases involving children and teens. In such instances, victims who lack the funds to pay via untraceable methods—such as gift cards or cryptocurrency—are often threatened with violence. In Bryce’s alleged case, the scammers encouraged him to end his life, stating “your life is already over.”
During the final 20 minutes of his life, Bryce was reportedly texted 120 times—a tactic designed to keep victims in a state of constant engagement and prevent them from removing their phone.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children reported tracking over 33,000 cases of child sextortion in 2024 alone, with nearly that number occurring in the first six months of this year.