Note: This story includes discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988. There is also an online chat at 988lifeline.org
On June 10th in El Dorado, 14-year-old Caleb Moore died by suicide. Described as a happy, loving kid by his mother, Morgan, the family initially thought it was a mistake or that cyberbullying had been involved.
He wasn’t depressed, he was excited about upcoming sports and to take on the 8th grade, she said. Morgan, along with Caleb’s father, Tarrell (AKA Ty), thought there was an accident where their son was posing for pictures with a gun, attempting to “look tough.”
At 14, Caleb was 6’4” a big, goofy kid, so goofy, his Mom said. An avid athlete and with many friends, she called Caleb someone that everybody liked. He had a basketball game that night and had attended weights earlier that morning. It was an afternoon of hanging with siblings before yet another activity.
“If you didn’t know him directly, they probably knew who he was just because of his height,” she laughed. “He was so mellow and chill and always had a good attitude.”
Despite initial confusion about Caleb’s injury, police soon found evidence of a clear cause: one where the 14-year-old had fallen victim to sexual extortion, or “sextortion,” a growing scam that overwhelmingly targets young males. It takes place when scammers (often overseas) pretend to be a young girl and send compromising or “bait” pictures, said officer Devin Haines, Detective Lieutenant in charge of Caleb’s case. The scammer flirts, gains the victim’s trust, and asks for reciprocal photos.
That’s when the conversation flips.
“Specifically, the intent is to blackmail this person and threaten they will put the photographs in their social circle,” Haines said. “They ask for a ransom of some kind of monetary amount to prevent that from happening.”
In addition, Haines said these cases include a sense or urgency to create a timeline in the scammer’s favor.
“They put that time pressure on the victim to complete this as quickly as possible.”
The psychological manipulation tactic is one that’s left Caleb’s family baffled for many reasons, including the financial gain off of kids who have limited funds.
“I don’t understand how cruel you have to be to do that to a young boy; he wasn’t anywhere near being a man yet,” she said. “He just had so many things left in his childhood to do. It was so pointless, so unnecessary. They didn’t get their money, the pictures didn’t get out, but I lost my kid.”
Morgan avoided the messages, while Ty decided to protect his children’s mother from those details.
“That will eat at me in the night. I can’t imagine what they would’ve said to make him so panicked. They made him feel so desperate that he thought it was the only way out,” Morgan said. “He had everything going for him and in 35 minutes he was manipulated so bad that he lost sight of it all. That’s why they target that age, you feel big but you can’t make a logical decision like an adult. They make you feel like it’s over unless you do what they say.”
“It’s a very fast-growing trend, unfortunately,” Haines said of the online blackmail approach.
“From my perspective, it’s because the access kids and young adults have to social media and how quickly information can be spread. It’s developing into a crisis. They don’t have to be embarrassed by falling prey to these predators because they are really, really good at it.”
Though specifics of Caleb’s case can’t be released (it’s still an active investigation), similar cases have included threatening tactics. Such as telling the victim:
• They will be disowned by friends/family
• They will be legally prosecuted/become a registered offender
• The pictures will be released to one’s entire friend group.
• Other cases have included personal details discovered on social media profiles.
Between 2021 and 2023 at least 20 cases of suicide by teen males after sextortion were reported, a number that rose to at least 30 by February of 2025.
In most cases, teens die within 24-hours of the initial threat, a timeline experts say is too quick for parents to notice a change in mood of behavior.
The aftermath includes Caleb’s younger siblings, Joshua, 12, Marcus, 10, Michael, 9, and Ella, 7, who split their time between parents; Morgan and Ty said they remain excellent co-parents and friends.
Now, everything from watching her kids come down the stairs, to filling out paperwork to the local YMCA, to buying candy bars, is a trigger for Morgan – instead of five kids, they now plans for four.
“It’s just killing me, I’ve started with ‘Caleb Aaron Moore’ on every piece of paperwork for 14 years, it was always five, five, five,” she said. “Now I write four or I buy four and it’s killing me. I still need five.”
Meanwhile, the community has stepped up to help the family not only with essentials but with ways to keep everyone busy. Like a free membership to the YMCA, or extensions from Morgan’s professors; she’s pursuing a special education teaching degree from Wichita State. A a local therapy office has been providing services to the entire family, free of charge, and Ty’s employer quickly worked to remodel his bathroom – the scene of the accident – with donated materials.
“The whole town has just really been shaken by the loss and is grieving with us,” she said. “I have had people just stand up in really big ways; that’s the only thing keeping me moving forward.”
The Moores said the only positive they can do is to share Caleb’s story and ensure other parents know about the dangers and prevalence of sextortion.
“He got caught up in the fear of repercussions for something most of us have done,” Morgan said. “It would’ve been such an easy problem to fix; it didn’t have to be anything more than a conversation about the seriousness of internet safety.”
“If you make a mistake, tell your parents. They don’t care about whatever mistake you made; nothing is as bad as losing your kid. Every time a parent says ‘I talked to my kids’ or ‘I checked my kid’s phone because I heard Caleb’s story,’ someone else’s kid is a little big safer even though our baby is gone.”
Above/middle, Caleb Moore, 14, died by suicide in his hometown of El Dorado on June 10th after he was a victim of sexual extortion. Left: Caleb and his Mom, Morgan.
He leaves behind Dad, Ty and stepmom Katy, Morgan’s fiancé, Bryan Broyles, and younger siblings: Joshua, 12, Marcus, 10, Michael, 9, Ella, 7, step-siblings Winnie, 7, Jo, 5, Beau, 2, and half-brother, Dutch, 4 months. (Top: Caleb with Dutch, middle: Ty, Katy, and kids. Below: Morgan, Bryan, and kids.)
Caleb’s case is ongoing with the El Dorado Police Department and partnering law enforcement agencies. A GoFundMe will help pay for funeral costs and a scholarship.
