(MARQUETTE, Mich.) — The parents of a teenager who died by suicide are urging others to have “tough” conversations about sextortion scams — saying that frank communication could save other teenagers’ lives.

Jordan DeMay, a 17-year-old from Marquette, Michigan, took his own life on March 25, 2022, after three Nigerian men pretended to be a female online and coerced DeMay to send a nude photo of himself, according to U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Mark Totten. When he did, the three men allegedly demanded $1,000 from him. DeMay told the men he was going to take his own life due to their mistreatment, and they responded “good” and “enjoy your miserable life,” Totten said.

“Jordan’s smile could light up any room,” his mother, Jennifer Buda told reporters at a press conference with federal law enforcement officials on Wednesday. “Jordan’s charm and beautiful smile were contagious. Drawing people to him wherever he went and leaving a lasting impression on everyone he met.”

Buda said she “can’t imagine” what was going through her son’s head that night because of the “senseless act” against her son.

“When we were informed that Jordan was potentially a victim of an internet scam called sextortion via Instagram, there was never a hesitation in our minds to share his story,” Buda said. “We wanted everyone to be aware about sextortion and have those tough conversations with their families so if it did happen to them, they knew to talk to someone.”

Three men, Samuel Ogoshi, 22, Samson Ogoshi, 20, and Ezekiel Ejehem Robert, 19, all of Lagos, Nigeria, allegedly posed as a girl on Instagram and interacted with “hundreds” of victims, including DeMay, according to Totten. After DeMay’s death, the FBI opened an investigation, which they say led them to the three men in Nigeria. There is no lawyer listed for the men.

“This was a multifaceted investigation that involves identifying dozens of victims following the digital breadcrumbs left behind by the sextortion is on the internet,” Jim Tarasca, the FBI special agent in charge of the Detroit field office, said.

The three men are in the process of being extradited to the United States, according to federal officials.

Sextortion, according to the FBI, is a crime in which people adopt fake identities online, coerce victims to send nude photos of themselves and then try and get the victims to pay money in exchange for a promise not to post the photos.

Over the past year, law enforcement agencies have received over 7,000 reports related to the online sextortion of minors — resulting in at least 3,000 victims, primarily boys, according to the FBI. More than a dozen sextortion victims were reported to have died by suicide, according to the Department of Justice.

Younger victims in particular may feel ashamed of their actions, but they aren’t to blame, federal officials said. Sextortion cases are on the rise, with perpetrators all over the world attempting to exploit minors, Tarasca said.

“It’s a disturbing trend that we’ve been seeing across the country and that, for that matter internationally, the culprits aren’t just in Nigeria,” he said. “They are like many cyber scams, cyber base scans throughout the world from other countries. Some are right here in the United States. So it is an opportunity for people to make money.”

Americans lost $10.3 billion to internet scams in 2022, marking the highest losses in five years, according to the FBI.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated.

If you are struggling with thoughts of suicide or worried about a friend or loved one, call the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 for free, confidential emotional support 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

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(NEW YORK) — A recent seizure of $5 million worth of fentanyl in New York City revealed a new tactic cartels are using to smuggle drugs into the United States, prosecutors and federal drug agents said Wednesday.

Approximately 300,000 fake oxycodone pills containing fentanyl and more than 11 pounds of powdered fentanyl were recently recovered from the gas tank of an SUV, according to the New York City Special Narcotics Prosecutor’s Office.

“This seizure demonstrates one of the many ways evil drug cartels, like the Sinaloa cartel, smuggle fentanyl from Mexico to major cities like New York for street distribution,” U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration special agent in charge Frank Tarentino said in a statement.

The vehicle, a red Ford Expedition with Texas plates, was stopped in the Bronx on Sunday, where a task force of DEA agents and NYPD officers discovered a hidden compartment that accessed the gas tank from inside the SUV, prosecutors said.

The fentanyl pills and powdered fentanyl were contained in vacuum-sealed packages and submerged in the vehicle’s gas tank, according to New York City special narcotics prosecutor Bridget Brennan.

“At a time when our city’s overdose rates are at a record high, the discovery of more than 11 pounds of powdered fentanyl and hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills manufactured to look like prescription pills, concealed in the gas tank of a truck near the Bronx Court House, is truly alarming,” Brennan said in a statement.

The fentanyl seized from the Ford Expedition is believed to have originated in Mexico, and the investigation revealed that the vehicle has crossed the U.S.-Mexico border multiple times, according to prosecutors.

The driver — identified by prosecutors as Enrique Perez, 44, of Columbus, Ohio — was arrested and charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance. Bail was set at $200,000 during an arraignment hearing on Monday.

“Thanks to this investigation, hundreds of thousands of dangerous pills were taken off the streets of the Bronx,” Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark said in a statement. “These fake oxycodone pills containing fentanyl would have ruined so many lives and would have likely killed many.”

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(ATLANTA) — One person is dead and four are injured from a mass shooting at an Atlanta medical center on Wednesday, police said.

Police have released these images of the suspect, identified as 24-year-old Deion Patterson, who they say is at large.

Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern.

May 03, 3:50 PM EDT
39-year-old woman killed, 4 women injured

The manhunt is ongoing for the mass shooting suspect, 24-year-old Deion Patterson, Atlanta police said at a news conference Wednesday afternoon. Police said the gun has not been recovered.

The shooting, which unfolded in a medical center waiting room, killed a 39-year-old woman, police said.

The four injured victims, who are all women, are “fighting for their lives,” Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said. They are ages 71, 56, 39 and 25, police said.

“As soon as possible I’ll be in touch with the families of the victims,” he said.

Patterson’s family is cooperating with the investigation, police said.

May 03, 3:17 PM EDT
Doctor recounts performing surgery as shooting unfolded 1 floor below

Dr. Timothy Simons was performing surgery one floor above the scene where the shooting unfolded.

He told ABC News he completed the surgery and then sheltered in place.

When police came to clear the building floor by floor, Simons said he was told to put his hands up to verify that he was not the shooter.

“Then they escorted us all down the stairs,” he said.

-ABC News’ Janice McDonald

May 03, 2:58 PM EDT
Carjacking may be connected to shooting

As Atlanta police search for the suspected gunman, 24-year-old Deion Patterson, they say a car was stolen “not long after the shooting” and remains missing.

“We are working to locate the carjacked vehicle and to determine whether it is connected to the shooting,” police said.

May 03, 2:31 PM EDT
Doctor saw officers swarm his building

Dr. Ahmed Ali, a radiation oncologist at the building, told ABC Atlanta affiliate WSB that he was returning from his lunch break when he saw armed officers swam the scene.

“I was worried what was happening,” he said. “Building security … they told me gunshots were coming from the 11th floor. They said there was a pool of blood in the elevator shafts when the doors opened.”

-ABC News’ Ivan Pereira

May 03, 2:30 PM EDT
3 critically injured, 1 remains in ER

Of the four people who were shot and injured, three are in critical condition and one is in the emergency department, according to hospital officials.

All four are adults, officials said.

May 03, 2:02 PM EDT
1 dead, 4 injured

One person was killed and four were injured in the shooting at Laureate Medical Center in Atlanta, according to police.

“Officers are actively searching for the suspect and any other victims,” police said.

Northside Hospital tweeted that it’s “cooperating with law enforcement following the shooting at our midtown #Atlanta location earlier this afternoon. We urge people in the area to shelter in place and follow instructions from law enforcement on the scene.”

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