Article/Archive
Right now, online predators are taking aim at teens in Kentucky and southern Indiana. The threat is so concerning, FBI Louisville says it's dedicating resources to investigate sextortion cases, hoping to intervene before they turn deadly.
For one teenage boy from Glasgow, that help came too late.
Sixteen-year-old Eli Heacock was a happy child. He was a popular sophomore at Caverna High School -- your classic, all-American teenage boy.
“There were no red flags there,” Caverna High School Principal Frank Beauchamp said. “There were no indicators of depression, anxiety, things that you usually think of when...when something like this happens, until that night.”
“He wanted everybody at this game,” his mom, Shannon Heacock, said. “He was just getting ready for the next big thing in his life.”
But Eli did not make it to that game. Instead, the next morning, Caverna staff were reading prepared statements to students, informing them of Eli’s death.
“This tragedy really, really hit us harder than it would at a bigger school, just because, you know, we just had a lot of kids, students, that knew Eli well,” Beauchamp said.
Within 45 minutes of being first contacted by an online predator, Eli had taken his own life.
His sister found him bleeding and his mom started CPR while they waited for EMS to arrive. An ambulance took Eli to a nearby hospital and then he was airlifted to a Louisville trauma center.
“We were waiting in triage when the doctor come out and asked us about Eli. Cops were with him, and that's when we were informed that Eli's injuries were from a gun, he was shot, and they told us that they were going to immediately start an investigation,” Eli's father, John Burnett, recalled.
A search for answers began in Eli’s inbox, where messages from a stranger caught the investigator’s eye.
Eli had a twin sister. He died in February after an online predator targeted and threatened him. | March 27, 2025
“He was contacted by some people online who demanded $3,000 and he got scared," Burnett said, adding that he saw the messages. “Within a matter of an hour, this person was able to contact Eli and create a panic in him.”
A stranger connected with the teen, demanded money, and threatened to release sexually explicit images of Eli to his friends and family if he didn’t pay by a fast-approaching deadline.
Eli’s parents said the images showed their son's face but were made using artificial intelligence (AI).
“Unfortunately, I think the biggest problem is it happens so quickly for the child,” FBI Louisville Supervisory Special Agent Ian Brock said.
“I think some parents may assume, well, my child's popular, they have friends, they have a girlfriend or a boyfriend. They wouldn't fall for something like this. That's simply not true,” he said.
He said predators find their victims on social media, websites with comments or messaging and on video games.
Typically, suspects target one area at a time, like a single town or school. They're known to befriend the teens, gain their trust and then turn on them.
“Thousands and thousands of children have fallen victim to this and the emotional scars this can leave behind [last] for years to come. It's damaging,” Brock said.
The FBI said the predators are mostly people in West African countries, working in teams to target as many kids as possible, as fast as possible.
When they have a victim “on the hook,” they put the pressure on, working to get as much money as they can, as fast as they can.
“It's late at night, their parents are asleep. They're afraid to talk to their parents about this, or anyone, because it's so embarrassing for them," Brock explained. "And this can all happen from the moment you go to sleep. As a parent, your child will be having this conversation. You won't even know about it."
That’s what happened to Eli’s parents. They didn’t know what was happening until it was too late. Now, they regret not talking to Eli about it sooner.
Eli's parents, Shannon and John, recount losing their son within an hour after he was contacted by online predators. | March 27, 2025
“Every parent has been through this is probably going to get the same thing -- 'You should have this, you should have that.' We got it. We got the guilt. We do. We have we get it every day,” Burnett said. “We did our best as parents, and the problem is that every parent out there thinks the exact same thing, and it's not...it's not working.”
Their motivation for telling Eli's story stems from a desire to provide other parents with the knowledge they didn’t have.
“It should have been, you know, in in our eyes, something that we could have stopped had we had information that we had already given him, that, you know, 'Your back's not against the wall and you can fight this,'" Burnett said "And we want other parents to know that this is something where it's time to get the fight.”
But everyone agrees, the best action here is prevention and that starts with an uncomfortable, but vitally important conversation with your kids.
“If you've already had that conversation with your child, they're much more likely to tell you what's happened, as opposed to if you've never talked about this. If you’ve never talked about this at all, they may be afraid to talk to you about it,” Brock said.
New Version of Don’t Talk to Strangers
“It is scary, you know, going through just seeing how it has impacted our students. And, you know, at the funeral, how hurt they are. And I know that that's not something that just is going to go away," Beauchamp added.
While his students heal, he plans to act. He has invited every parent to the school for a presentation later this month, equipping them with talking points for those tough conversations with their kids.
Caverna High School Principal Frank Beauchamp plans to talk with parents on ways to talk with their kids about sextortion. | March 27, 2025
Eli’s parents said they’re grateful, and hope other parents across the country will hear their plea and act.
“We don't want that to happen to you, and yours is up next. It's, it's next man up, and ours is already gone,” Burnett said.
Lawmakers in Kentucky are taking action to prevent sextortion cases in the state and implement harsher penalties against offenders when sextortion happens.
Gov. Andy Beshear signed Senate Bill 73 into law last week. It requires schools to start educating families when their students are in the fourth grade -- sending letters to explain sextortion, what it looks like, and resources if a child does fall victim.
It also requires secondary schools to display similar information on posters throughout the school.
Sen. Julie Raque Adams (R-Louisville) says Eli’s case could’ve been different if he had that kind of information.
“What’s so tragic about it is he felt like he didn’t have anywhere to go," she said. "That’s what we want to change with these kids. We want them to recognize there are places for them to go, to get help and receive the services they need to get through it."
Right now, online predators are taking aim at teens in Kentucky and southern Indiana. The threat is so concerning, FBI Louisville says it's dedicating resources to investigate sextortion cases, hoping to intervene before they turn deadly.
For one teenage boy from Glasgow, that help came too late.
Sixteen-year-old Eli Heacock was a happy child. He was a popular sophomore at Caverna High School -- your classic, all-American teenage boy.
“There were no red flags there,” Caverna High School Principal Frank Beauchamp said. “There were no indicators of depression, anxiety, things that you usually think of when...when something like this happens, until that night.”
ELI'S TRAGIC STORY'It happens so quickly.'
On Thursday, Feb. 28, Eli was texting his parents from his bedroom, making plans for Friday’s big game against a rival school. He considered himself an important part of the school's pep squad.“He wanted everybody at this game,” his mom, Shannon Heacock, said. “He was just getting ready for the next big thing in his life.”
But Eli did not make it to that game. Instead, the next morning, Caverna staff were reading prepared statements to students, informing them of Eli’s death.
“This tragedy really, really hit us harder than it would at a bigger school, just because, you know, we just had a lot of kids, students, that knew Eli well,” Beauchamp said.
Within 45 minutes of being first contacted by an online predator, Eli had taken his own life.
His sister found him bleeding and his mom started CPR while they waited for EMS to arrive. An ambulance took Eli to a nearby hospital and then he was airlifted to a Louisville trauma center.
“We were waiting in triage when the doctor come out and asked us about Eli. Cops were with him, and that's when we were informed that Eli's injuries were from a gun, he was shot, and they told us that they were going to immediately start an investigation,” Eli's father, John Burnett, recalled.
A search for answers began in Eli’s inbox, where messages from a stranger caught the investigator’s eye.
Eli had a twin sister. He died in February after an online predator targeted and threatened him. | March 27, 2025
“He was contacted by some people online who demanded $3,000 and he got scared," Burnett said, adding that he saw the messages. “Within a matter of an hour, this person was able to contact Eli and create a panic in him.”
A stranger connected with the teen, demanded money, and threatened to release sexually explicit images of Eli to his friends and family if he didn’t pay by a fast-approaching deadline.
Eli’s parents said the images showed their son's face but were made using artificial intelligence (AI).
“Unfortunately, I think the biggest problem is it happens so quickly for the child,” FBI Louisville Supervisory Special Agent Ian Brock said.
CRIMINALS TARGETING CHILDREN'Every child at risk' of sextortion
Brock investigates crimes against children. He said sextortion is the fast-growing threat against Kentucky’s kids, citing at least two new cases reported every week, and warns every child is at risk.“I think some parents may assume, well, my child's popular, they have friends, they have a girlfriend or a boyfriend. They wouldn't fall for something like this. That's simply not true,” he said.
He said predators find their victims on social media, websites with comments or messaging and on video games.
Typically, suspects target one area at a time, like a single town or school. They're known to befriend the teens, gain their trust and then turn on them.
“Thousands and thousands of children have fallen victim to this and the emotional scars this can leave behind [last] for years to come. It's damaging,” Brock said.
The FBI said the predators are mostly people in West African countries, working in teams to target as many kids as possible, as fast as possible.
When they have a victim “on the hook,” they put the pressure on, working to get as much money as they can, as fast as they can.
“It's late at night, their parents are asleep. They're afraid to talk to their parents about this, or anyone, because it's so embarrassing for them," Brock explained. "And this can all happen from the moment you go to sleep. As a parent, your child will be having this conversation. You won't even know about it."
That’s what happened to Eli’s parents. They didn’t know what was happening until it was too late. Now, they regret not talking to Eli about it sooner.
Eli's parents, Shannon and John, recount losing their son within an hour after he was contacted by online predators. | March 27, 2025
“Every parent has been through this is probably going to get the same thing -- 'You should have this, you should have that.' We got it. We got the guilt. We do. We have we get it every day,” Burnett said. “We did our best as parents, and the problem is that every parent out there thinks the exact same thing, and it's not...it's not working.”
Their motivation for telling Eli's story stems from a desire to provide other parents with the knowledge they didn’t have.
“It should have been, you know, in in our eyes, something that we could have stopped had we had information that we had already given him, that, you know, 'Your back's not against the wall and you can fight this,'" Burnett said "And we want other parents to know that this is something where it's time to get the fight.”
PARENTS, START THE CONVERSATIONHow to talk with kids about sextortion
There are ways to fight back against sextortion, including websites like Take It Down, which helps get explicit images off the internet if they are shared.But everyone agrees, the best action here is prevention and that starts with an uncomfortable, but vitally important conversation with your kids.
“If you've already had that conversation with your child, they're much more likely to tell you what's happened, as opposed to if you've never talked about this. If you’ve never talked about this at all, they may be afraid to talk to you about it,” Brock said.
How to talk with kids about sextortion:
If you need help explaining what sextortion is to your child or children you know, here are a few 30-second conversation starters you can use to start the conversation.New Version of Don’t Talk to Strangers
- When you’re online, has anyone you don’t know ever tried to contact or talk to you?
- What did you do or what would you do if that happened?
- Why do you think someone would want to reach a kid online?
- You know, it’s easy to pretend to be someone you’re not online and not every person is a good person. Make sure you block or ignore anything that comes in from someone you don’t know in real life.
- Has anyone you know ever sent a picture of themselves that got passed around school or a team or club?
- What’s possible anytime you send someone a picture?
- What if that picture were embarrassing?
- Can you think about how someone could use that kind of picture against a person?
- I read an article today about kids being pressured to send images and video of their bodies to a person they met online. Have you ever heard about anything like that?
- Sometimes they were being threatened and harassed—scary stuff.
- You know, if you are ever feeling like something is going on—online or off—that feels scary or wrong or over your head, my first concern is going to be helping you. You can always come to me.
LAWMAKERS TAKE ACTION'Yours is up next.'
Eli's death has been a devastating reality check for students, parents, and teachers alike at Caverna High School in Glasgow. Principal Beauchamp said it's a trauma "that's going to linger."“It is scary, you know, going through just seeing how it has impacted our students. And, you know, at the funeral, how hurt they are. And I know that that's not something that just is going to go away," Beauchamp added.
While his students heal, he plans to act. He has invited every parent to the school for a presentation later this month, equipping them with talking points for those tough conversations with their kids.
Caverna High School Principal Frank Beauchamp plans to talk with parents on ways to talk with their kids about sextortion. | March 27, 2025
Eli’s parents said they’re grateful, and hope other parents across the country will hear their plea and act.
“We don't want that to happen to you, and yours is up next. It's, it's next man up, and ours is already gone,” Burnett said.
Lawmakers in Kentucky are taking action to prevent sextortion cases in the state and implement harsher penalties against offenders when sextortion happens.
Gov. Andy Beshear signed Senate Bill 73 into law last week. It requires schools to start educating families when their students are in the fourth grade -- sending letters to explain sextortion, what it looks like, and resources if a child does fall victim.
It also requires secondary schools to display similar information on posters throughout the school.
Sen. Julie Raque Adams (R-Louisville) says Eli’s case could’ve been different if he had that kind of information.
“What’s so tragic about it is he felt like he didn’t have anywhere to go," she said. "That’s what we want to change with these kids. We want them to recognize there are places for them to go, to get help and receive the services they need to get through it."
