E138 - "They’re After Everybody’s Kid:" A Family’s Story of Loss to Sextortion

Trigger Warning

This episode includes topics of child sextortion and suicide. Listener discretion is advised. 

Episode Description

In this episode of Consider Before Consuming, Shannon Heacock and John Burnett share the deeply personal and devastating story of their son, Elijah. Recently, at just 16 years old, Elijah became a victim of sextortion — a form of online exploitation where predators manipulate and blackmail their victims using threats and explicit imagery, sometimes even using AI-generated content. Tragically, the manipulation and fear led Elijah to take his own life. John and Shannon’s courage in telling Elijah’s story...