CROSS LANES, WV (LOOTPRESS) – The Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI are investigating the death of a 15-year-old Cross Lanes boy after evidence revealed he had been targeted in an online sextortion scheme shortly before taking his own life.
Deputies responded to a 911 call on November 6 around 7:10 p.m. reporting a shooting at a home on Kelly Road. When they arrived, they found Bryce Tate, a Nitro High School student, dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
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Detectives recovered Tate’s cellphone and submitted it to the sheriff’s office Digital Forensic Lab, where investigators discovered communications showing he had been contacted by an unknown individual earlier that afternoon.
According to the sheriff’s office, the sextortion-related messages began around 4:37 p.m. and continued until minutes before Tate’s death.
Sextortion involves offenders coercing victims into sending intimate images, often by posing as another teen or using fake social media accounts.
Once images are obtained, offenders demand money or additional photos and threaten public release if the victim does not comply. Law enforcement officials say these schemes move quickly and are designed to overwhelm young victims.
Because of the interstate and digital nature of the case, the investigation has been turned over to the FBI Pittsburgh office, where it remains active.
The Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office extended condolences to Tate’s family and the Nitro High School community.
