AI-generated nude images used in sextortion scam targeting Kentucky teen who died by suicide
A 16-year-old boy in Glasgow, Kentucky received sextortion threats using AI-generated nude images of himself and died by suicide shortly after. The incident exemplifies a growing pattern of generative AI being used to create synthetic explicit content for extortion targeting minors.
What happened
Elijah Heacock, a 16-year-old from Glasgow, Kentucky, received a threatening text message containing an AI-generated nude photo of himself. The message demanded $3,000 to prevent the image from being sent to his friends and family.
Elijah died by suicide on February 28 shortly after receiving the message, according to his parents John Burnett and Shannon Heacock.
Reported impact
Elijah's death affected his community in Glasgow. His funeral was attended by hundreds of people.
Index analysis
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received more than 500,000 reports of sextortion scams targeting minors in the past year, with more than 100,000 involving generative AI. The FBI estimates at least 20 young people have taken their own lives due to sextortion scams since 2021.
Teen boys ages 14-17 have been specifically targeted, according to the FBI. More than 300 offenders have been arrested in connection with sextortion cases in Kentucky since 2019.
Governance controls
Dr. Rebecca Portnoff, head of data science at Thorn, noted that creating artificial nude images requires no technical skills, as searching for how to make such images yields readily available apps, websites and resources.
Thorn has developed an initiative called 'Safety By Design' that outlines barriers AI companies should set when developing their technology.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.