Kentucky

February 27, 2025

1 male student, age 16

Sixteen-year-old Elijah 'Eli' Heacock received a threatening text message containing AI-generated nude images purporting to be of him, accompanied by a demand for $3,000 to prevent dissemination. Heacock died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound that same night after sending a partial payment.

Outcome: The case remains under active FBI investigation with no arrests as of April 2026. Heacock's death became the catalyst for Kentucky Senate Bill 73, signed in March 2025, making sextortion a felony with enhanced penalties, including elevation to homicide if the victim dies by suicide.