13-year-old girl dies by suicide after exposure to Columbine-glorifying True Crime Community content online
Summary
A 13-year-old girl from Florence, Kentucky, died by suicide in December 2024. Her mother discovered through her journal that the girl had become part of an online subculture known as the True Crime Community (TCC), which idolizes the Columbine High School shooters. The girl had been experiencing bullying and declining mental health, which led her to online content glorifying mass violence and self-harm. Her TikTok account was banned the night she died, and her mother later found that the girl had been communicating with other TCC followers online who were aware of her suicidal plans but did not intervene. The FBI later used information from her phone to investigate a potential school bombing plot involving teens she had been in contact with.
Incident Details
Content or interactions that contribute to self-harm, suicidal ideation, or eating disorders.
Non-suicidal self-injury facilitated or encouraged through online interactions.
Content or contact linked to suicidal ideation, attempts, or completion.
Sources
1This incident is documented by a single source. Source count reflects coverage in our monitored feeds, not the totality of reporting, and we do not evaluate publication quality.