MARQUETTE TOWNSHIP, MI— The parents of a teenaged boy who took his own life last week are requesting information about his death be publicized.
On Friday around 7:40 a.m., Marquette County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a Marquette Township residence for the apparent suicide of 17-year-old Jordan DeMay. Normally, the Sheriff’s Office doesn’t provide press releases about suicides, but Jordan’s parents wanted the information released.
Officials believe Jordan was being extorted through Instagram over pictures he had taken of himself. Jordan was put under extreme pressure by the perpetrator to pay money in exchange for the pictures not being sent to his family and Instagram followers.
These events are believed to have happened in a time period of less than six hours.
The Sheriff’s Office and Jordan’s family hope this will assist the community in their healing. They also hope it will educate people and spur courageous conversations about internet safety.
If you or a loved one is in crisis, please call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room immediately.
The phone number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
The Marquette County Sheriff’s Office continues to investigate the incident.
