They Destroyed My Child Because of One Photo

"Sarah was 14. Honor roll student. Played volleyball. I thought I was watching her carefully.

Then the FBI knocked on our door.

They'd arrested a man named Bradley Cadenhead. 19 years old. He'd been grooming children internationally through Discord.

What they found on his computer:
• A spreadsheet with 200+ children's names
• Their ages, locations, family details
• Their insecurities and triggers
• Screenshots of their social media
• Their school schedules and addresses

Sarah's name was on row 47.

"He knew her volleyball practice schedule. Her best friend's name. That she was insecure about her weight. That her dad traveled for work. That she stayed home alone on Tuesdays."

The FBI said he'd convinced dozens of children to harm themselves on camera. For his entertainment.

Bradley Cadenhead was sentenced to 80 years in prison. But Sarah still has nightmares. She won't use the computer. Won't talk to friends online. She's 15 now and afraid of her own phone.

"Mike was 16. Good kid. Played baseball. Honor student.

Then a girl messaged him on Snapchat. Pretty profile. Said she was from his school.

They chatted for weeks. She asked for a photo. 'Nothing weird, just want to see you.'

The trap:
• Step 1: Build trust over weeks
• Step 2: Ask for innocent photo
• Step 3: Use deepfake technology to create explicit content
• Step 4: Demand money or 'real' photos

The message came on a Tuesday: 'Pay $500 or I send this to everyone at your school.'

Mike had never sent an explicit photo. They created one using AI.

"He came to us crying. Said he wanted to die rather than have his classmates see the fake photo. A 16-year-old ready to kill himself over something he never even did."

The outcome: We reported it to FBI. The scammers were in Nigeria. Mike's fake photo was one of thousands. He's in therapy now, afraid to use social media.