Mom: Web Hoax Led Girl to Kill Herself

News Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch, who owns the social networking Web site MySpace, speaks at the company's Global Energy Initiative in this May 9, 2007, file photo. The parents of Megan Meier, a Missouri teen who committed suicide, hope the people who made a fraudulent profile on MySpace will be prosecuted, and they are seeking legal changes to safeguard children on the Internet. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

(AP) -- Megan Meier thought she had made a new friend in cyberspace when a cute teenage boy named Josh contacted her on MySpace and began exchanging messages with her.

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3.6/5 after 21 votes

• Wil - Nov 17, 2007
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  Just like in other cases where something supposedly caused someone to commit suicide (role playing games spring to mind immediately), we're going to find that the story is more complex than it appears. Fake people and mean messages alone don't push people to kill themselves.
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• Keter - Nov 17, 2007
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  @Wil - Obviously you were never bullied as a child. Bullies don't give a victim a moment's peace...there is no sanctuary, no place a child can be safe. She also apparently was severely corrected by her mother when she tried to fight back...that's the goal of the bullies, to put a kid in a position that if he/she fights to defend themselves, they end up with the whole world against them.
  
  The important point here was that PARENTS were involved, participating in psychologically torturing a child. That, I would think, would fall under some statute of child abuse. In any case, I agree with the mother: it was vile, and there should be a special place in jail and hell for adults who help their children be more effective bullies.
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• rebootsdamachina - Nov 18, 2007
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  In most cases it is extremely hard to prove psychological abuse. Many non-custodial parents have cried down that particular road only to find reluctant medical and legal professionals willing to stand up in court without obvious physical evidence.. Unfortunate but true.
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• Wil - Nov 18, 2007
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  Actually, I was bullied as a child and I somehow wound up not killing myself. Like I said, there is often much more to suicide than the "last straw" as it were. In other words, *anything* could have caused this poor girl to commit suicide...it just happened that the events surrounding the MySpace fraud were what did it. It could have just as easily been a failing grade, or finding out that a favorite possession had been lost, or a fight with her parents, or whatever. While the actions of the people who perpetrated the hoax are reprehensible and definitely shed light into the psyche of those responsible, I still feel that in this girl's home life there was much more going on than we know about - especially considering that the parents are now separated, the act of dumping the foosball table on the driveway, etc. I have an ex-girlfriend who's son killed himself at the age of 13, after his step-mother wouldn't let him use the computer to finish a late assignment at school. There was a definite trend in the relationship with his step-mother, home life, emotional problems, etc. that lead to the suicide. The denial of the computer use was the catalyst, but in the final analysis it was not the whole root cause. The same will prove true in this case, I'm sure.
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• nilbud - Nov 18, 2007
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  In this case there is a log of every message and chat and nuance of the relationship. I think in a case like this where deliberate manipulation of a minor leads to actual harm a prosecution should be brought. If noone dies it's just being scumbags, when a life is ended it should register somehow. Oh A-Team where are you when we need you? BA would smack them upside the head.
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• Jesta - Nov 19, 2007
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  Wil, I registered for this site just to tell you that you can't say you are sure about anything in this case based on your previous experiences with teenage suicide. The fact remains that according to FBI investigation, there was an entire family who was using this persona "Josh". This family also gave access to other GIRLS for use. So think about it. We know girls can be very mean to each other especially in a competitive school scenario, and when a girl insults another, it would hurt, but not enough to make them commit suicide. However, if that girl made up a fake boy persona and showed interest in her enemy, it would be easy to manipulate her feelings and do severe psychological damage. This was a planned psychological attack on a young girl, and it was allowed to take place (the mother even admitted that she helped type and monitored everything that was said to her)- This parent said to the police that she wanted to gain Megans confidence online to "see what she was saying about her child"- The mother willingly admitted to tricking Megan into liking a fake boy, then alowed her daughter to twist and manipulate her friends feelings. She even said she monitored everything that was typed. I also suspect that the two girls may not have had the best friend relationship under the surface either; and how the hell would you feel if you had a young daughter who was psychologically assaulted to the point of killing herself by a family that you were storing items for? You mean to tell me that you have the Buddhist discipline to remain calm and give them their stuff back with a smile? Wil, I think that what you posted was absolutely ignorant. THINK about what you say before you say it. And I whole heartedly agree with Keter.
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• bmcghie - Nov 21, 2007
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  Maybe, just maybe, the girl's parents should have maybe investigated just what exactly their daughter is doing online at such a young age? I mean, 13 is pretty dang young for unsupervised internet access. I don't mean looking over her shoulder, but maybe staying abreast of what she is doing? A hell of a lot of parents are completely ignorant of a LOT of things their child is doing. I imagine if your child is depressed and has been diagnosed with ADD, you might want to be a little more involved with them, no?
  Parents need to accept a bit of blame on this one. They could have easily averted the situation. That said, it is still a tragedy that such perverted people (creators of Josh, I mean) would pull something like this.
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