A West Virginia family is speaking out after losing their son, Bryce Tate, to a crime the FBI reports is rapidly increasing across the country: sextortion. His father, Adam Tate, along with his wife, Amanda, are sharing their story to educate other parents who, like them, were initially unaware of the scam.
Sextortion involves criminals coercing minors to create sexually explicit images or videos, then threatening to release this material publicly unless a payment, often in gift cards or cryptocurrency, is received. A 2025 survey indicated that one in five teenagers has experienced sextortion.
Bryce Tate, a sophomore at Nitro High School, was remembered by his father as "always smiling, full of energy, goofy, dancing." Adam Tate cherished the memories of their time together, describing his son as a great blessing.
On the evening of November 6, Bryce received a text message after school from someone claiming to be a teenage girl interested in him. The message arrived just after 4:30 p.m. While Bryce had never met the sender, the individual had accurate information about him. The conversation continued as Bryce worked out and while Amanda Tate drove him home.
Around 7:25 or 7:27 p.m., Amanda Tate heard a loud noise and found Bryce. Adam Tate, who arrived home as quickly as he could, expressed his feeling that if he had been there sooner, he might have been able to intervene. Bryce Tate had died by suicide.
For nearly two weeks following Bryce’s death, his parents struggled to understand what happened. Adam Tate stated that his son did not struggle with mental health, bullying, or heartbreak, noting that this crime unfolded in a short three-hour period. Detectives from the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Department performed a forensics audit on Bryce’s phone, revealing he was a victim of sextortion. The deputies and the FBI believe the individual texting Bryce was a professional extortionist posing as a teenage girl.
The extortionist enticed Bryce to send compromising pictures of himself after sending pictures from their number. Once Bryce complied, the extortionist revealed their true intent, threatening to publicly release the images and ruin Bryce and his family's lives unless $500 was paid. Bryce offered the $30 he had, which was rejected.
Adam Tate explained that the extortionists then "coerce them into taking their own lives." He described the method as sending 120 texts in 20 minutes, a message every 10 seconds, designed to keep the victim in a panic. The criminals create an imaginary timer, threatening that images will be released if their demands are not met. Adam Tate called this tactic "psychological warfare," explaining how they constantly maximize pressure, making it impossible for children to disengage from their phones and see a way out.
No arrests have been made in Bryce Tate’s case, which the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office continues to investigate in collaboration with the FBI.
In April 2026, Nitro High School hosted a basketball tournament in Bryce’s honor, also serving as an opportunity to educate families on sextortion. The advocacy efforts of Bryce’s parents led to the passage of Bryce’s Law in West Virginia in 2026, which criminalizes sextortion and outlines specific penalties. Bryce's parents remain committed to ensuring that these criminals do not write the ending to their son's story.
Other states have also taken action; as of April 2026, Wisconsin has laws allowing sextortion victims to file civil suits for monetary damages and enabling families to file wrongful death lawsuits if a loved one's suicide was largely a result of the crime. Wisconsin also allocated more resources to investigating internet crimes against children and funding awareness campaigns in public schools.
Adam Tate urged parents to have conversations with their children about sextortion, emphasizing, “Stop believing that this can’t happen to your family because it can.”
If you or a loved one are struggling with distress or a mental health crisis, help is available. Call or text the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Services are free and confidential.