FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WPTA) – A Fort Wayne teen is dead, and a suspect is in custody more than four thousand miles away in Germany. Police say they connected on Discord, a chat app popular with teens and gamers. The FBI Indianapolis Field Office says an 18-year-old German man has been arrested on a count of murder in the death of the 14-year-old Fort Wayne girl. The Fort Wayne Police Department says officers responded to a death investigation involving the girl earlier this month. FWPD’s Homicide Unit identified a suspect who contributed to her death, working with the FBI and authorities in Germany.Police in Hamburg, Germany, accuse the suspect of coercing the girl, whom he met on Discord. Police say it led to self-harm and ended in suicide. According to a translated article by NDR, a German television broadcaster, the Hamburg Public Prosecutor’s Office says the suspect was 17 at the time of the crime.Authorities in Germany and Fort Wayne declined interviews, saying the case remains active.What prosecutors allegeA release from the German prosecutor’s office says the suspect used “Kaz” online, befriended the teen, then pressured her to cut herself and write “Kaz” and “NMK” in blood on her wall. NMK is the name of a violent online network investigators say he was trying to impress.NDR reports that the suspect, a resident of Hamburg, Germany, allegedly demanded that the girl record her self-harm. After the girl died, prosecutors say he allegedly tried to obtain recordings of her suicide. Investigators say he is believed to have orchestrated her suicide, NDR reports, threatening that he would release compromising video of her.Prosecutors say he eventually convinced her to die by suicide on Oct. 2. The article says police also found that the girl made references to the group “NMK” in her recordings.Police searched the suspect’s home and arrested him last Thursday. German news outlets report he remains in pretrial detention.Discord’s response21Alive News reached out to Discord for comment on the case. They responded with a statement.
“Discord has been aggressively disrupting the 764 subculture and affiliated groups since 2021, when we first identified these actors. We were among the first to share intelligence with law enforcement and alert other major online services, and have since removed thousands of servers, banned users, and filed numerous CyberTip reports with NCMEC related to 764 and other sadistic harm actors. We continue to work closely and proactively with law enforcement and industry partners to identify, disrupt and prevent these groups from causing harm.”
Safety expert urges open communication21Alive News spoke with Roo Powell, founder of SOSA, Safe From Online Sex Abuse, an online safety nonprofit. It also offers support for victims. Powell is featured in a true crime docuseries following her team’s undercover work with police to catch predators.“The uncomfortable truth is that initial contact can take minutes,” Powell said.She contrasted the current online environment with how many parents grew up thinking about stranger danger: “You and I grew up understanding stranger danger. We understood that when we walked to school, we need to be worried about somebody who might pull up in the parking lot. But in this case, nobody in these groups actually want to meet a child. They want to control her remotely.”Powell said predators are masters at manipulation and the danger is widespread. She said they often convince victims to send sensitive pictures, then threaten to share them if the victims don’t cooperate.“There’s no real why. In this case, the cruelty is the point,” Powell said.She said parents should not have “the talk” about online safety only once, but should keep the conversation ongoing and focused on removing shame.“If a kid comes to us and says, ‘This thing happened’, our first sentence has to be, ‘This is not your fault,’” Powell said.“And I always say that I don’t want my kids’ response to something to be, ‘Oh, no, I can’t believe this happened. Mom can’t find out.’ I want their response to be, ‘Oh, no, something happened. I have to tell mom, she’ll know what to do,’” Powell said.She said the goal is to break the secrecy and shame she says networks like NMK and 764 rely on.She said this type of extortion and manipulation can happen on any app. “If any platform or app or website has a chat client, if there’s the capability for one person to talk to another person, then a risk is present,” Powell said.FWPD warning and FBI statementThe Fort Wayne Police Department recently warned the community about similar dark web groups. On Oct. 14, FWPD held a news conference to warn parents, guardians, educators and young people about online networks that they say are leading to deaths across the country. They say perpetrators reportedly use Discord, Roblox, Telegram and other online platforms to build relationships with children and other vulnerable individuals.They say messages and friend requests from such predators can escalate to grooming, sextortion, threats and psychological manipulation. Information and photos victims send can then be used by the groups to manipulate, threaten, blackmail or extort children.“Anyone who targets or exploits a child should understand this: There is no safe haven from justice. It doesn’t matter where you live or where you try to hide. The FBI will work with our partners around the world to find you and hold you accountable. When children are victimized, we will pursue every lead and use every available resource. Wherever you go, justice will find you,” FBI Indianapolis Special Agent in Charge Timothy J. O’Malley said.Copyright 2026 WPTA. All rights reserved.
Source link
——————————————————–
Click Here For The Original Source.
