James Woods' parents speak out about sextortion case that led to teenage son's suicide
James Woods, a 17-year-old athlete who attended Streetsboro High School, gave no indication there was anything wrong with his life, according to his parents, Tamia and and Tim Woods.
"My son gave me a hug every day. He told me he loved me every day," Tamia Woods told Beacon Journal news partner News 5 Cleveland.
His parents said they had no warning signs that James would take his own life, but on Nov. 19, he did.
"It was no inkling at all that he would ever do such a thing, ever," Woods said.
After the teen's death, police looked through his cell phone and discovered he was the victim of sextortion.
More:'One child lost is one too many. ' Sextortion case that led to teen's suicide under investigation
Sextortion is when an adult pretends to be the same age of a younger victim to get them to share explicit photos or videos of themselves on camera, authorities said. The individuals behind these types of cases are often untraceable and may even be living overseas.
After pictures of private parts were sent to James through an Instagram account, the teen was convinced to share a compromising video of himself, which was then used by a predator or predators against him, his family told News 5. They said 200 messages demanding money were sent to James over 20 hours.
The parents told News 5 they learned pictures of James were sent to other teens and threats were made to post them widely on social media if James didn't pay $300.
They said James sent $100, but the threats continued. The next day, he died by suicide in his Streetsboro home.
See the full story here on News 5 Cleveland's website.
Educating parents and residents
Streetsboro school officials said they have learned that other students in the district have been sextortion targets. Specific details regarding those other cases or how many there are have not been released.
Parents should contact their local police department if their child has been a victim of sextortion.
Below is a list of resources regarding sextortion and suicide prevention:
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Streetsboro parents discuss sextortion that led to teen son's suicide
