Ryan Last, 17, Dies by Suicide After Instagram Sextortion Scam; Perpetrator Sentenced to 18 Months
Incident Details
Summary
Ryan Last, 17, of San Jose, California died by suicide on February 28, 2022, shortly after falling victim to a sextortion scam on Instagram. An unknown person posing as a romantic interest solicited intimate photos then threatened to share them unless Ryan complied. He died within hours of the extortion escalating. The perpetrator was identified and sentenced to 18 months in federal prison. Ryan's case was cited alongside Gavin Guffey's death in legislative hearings that produced 'Gavin's Law' in South Carolina, making sexual extortion of minors an aggravated felony.
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