Ah, TikTok. Where else are you going to waste several hours mindlessly scrolling to avoid
getting your work done? For most of us, TikTok is a fun app that gives us a bit of light-hearted
entertainment. However, because we can never have nice things, there is a darker side to
this app. Today, we’ll be looking at 5 disturbing TikTok controversies that might make you think
before you scroll.
5. We’ve Got a Bone to Pick with You
At the beginning of 2020, TikTok user Jon-Pichaya Ferry began posting some unusual content under
the handle @JonsBones. Initially, he caught peoples’ eyes by sharing facts about the
human skeleton or showing how certain bones and joints interact. Ferry would appear in
video after video holding various skulls or showing off a literal wall of human spines
inside his New York City apartment. He also started to sell his collection of human remains
through his company, aptly named JonsBones.
But it wasn’t long before people started to wonder just where all these bones were
coming from. When comments began to accuse Ferry of grave-robbing, he took to the internet
to set the record straight, but he ended up setting off a firestorm.
Ferry was adamant that he did not acquire the bones through any illegal means, and that
he had purchased them from private collectors or companies that mostly originated out of
China, India, or Russia, claiming that they were all “ethically sourced.”
However, Ferry had no official documentation to show for his bones, and those who purchase through
the JonsBones website get no documentation or history of the remains in their possession.
People began to question how Ferry knew his bones were from an ethical source since he
appeared to have no records. It’s also worth mentioning that something that is technically
legal isn’t necessarily ethically or morally okay.
Furthermore, as people dug into Ferry’s past, it became clear that he had no qualifications
whatsoever, having no formal education in osteology, anthropology, or any related field
that would make him a reliable expert. His treatment of the bones on his TikTok account
turned many stomachs, leading to outcries questioning why he thought it was okay to
dress up skeletons, allow his pets to play in their bones, or shove money between their teeth.
One TikTok user named wasianbari3 commented, “Those were people, not rocks to collect.
Have respect.” Others also noted that without proper documentation, these individuals were
not being treated in the manner that their culture or religion might mandate. For example,
Muslims are supposed to be buried facing Mecca, and Ferry has no way of knowing which of his
many skeletons might have been Muslim during their lives.
Though Ferry likes to assert that he is humane and principled, claiming that he only sells
his bones to medical students or institutions and that he gives the remains a dignified
purpose, there is no proof to back this up. In fact, YouTube user READY TO GLARE tried
to purchase bones from his company’s website, hoping that she would run into some kind of
wall since she is not a doctor or in the medical or educational field. Unfortunately, it was
shockingly easy to do, and she encountered no kind of blockade that would bar her, as
a private citizen and collector, from buying human remains from JonsBones. There is no
regulation or documentation put in place to ensure that a purchaser from JonsBones has
an educational intent when purchasing from his business.
It is far more likely that Ferry is simply capitalizing off of a corrupt trade that forces
destitute families to surrender their loved ones’ bodies to stave off the financial
burden of a proper funeral. He could also have bodies in his possession that came from
less than ethical circumstances, like murder or grave-robbing, and he would have no idea.
So, although what Ferry is doing isn’t technically illegal in the United States, where he resides,
it is certainly morally dubious and begs the question: Would his business be as profitable
if it weren’t for his TikTok presence and over half a million followers?
4. Stranger Danger
In 2019, a 25-year-old named John Robert Bell joined TikTok under the usernames @jorobe
and @jorobeirl. He gained traction by posting politically correct commentary videos, and
stating that his main goal was to make the internet a “safe place for young people.”
‘’This type of public humiliation and outright rejection of identity is all too common in the transgender community.
You should be ashamed of yourselves!’’
By 2021, he had almost six million followers between his two TikTok accounts.
However, controversy exploded in the summer of 2021 when 17-year-old Dylan, known as @dylg16
on TikTok, posted a video to the app claiming that Bell was the “biggest hypocrite he’d
ever met.”
He then went on to detail how Bell used TikTok to connect with him initially, leveraging
his popularity on social media as a way to groom Dylan, a minor ten years his junior.
Bell joined one of Dylan’s live streams and asked for his Snapchat, which he readily
gave him, and the pair struck up a conversation on the app for several weeks.
Dylan then invited Bell to a daily Zoom call that he held with his other TikTok friends,
all aged between 15 and 19, and Bell accepted. After about a week of attending this Zoom
call, Bell asked Dylan to get an AirBnB with him once he turned 18, and even promised to
supply alcohol if he agreed to go.
Initially, Dylan was excited by the proposition but grew increasingly uncomfortable when it
became clear that no one else was invited. Bell continued to send him listings for one-bedroom
AirBnBs until Dylan began flat out ignoring his advances. He also encouraged Dylan to
set up an OnlyFans account when he turned 18, offering to set it up for him and become
a subscriber once it was live. Bell strove to isolate Dylan from his friends, claiming
that he was the only person Dylan could trust, leading Dylan to not speak to his friend group
for about four months.
Dylan also alleges that he was not the only young man that Bell has attempted to groom.
In fact, within Dylan’s weekly Zoom calls with his teen TikTok friends, Bell apparently
had all the boys take a BDSM quiz and share their results with him. YouTube user Papa
Gut has also claimed that multiple boys have reached out to him detailing Bell’s predatory
behavior, and he has a Google Document from these young men that lists Bell’s multiple
offenses towards them.
''That's grooming! They didn't even realise how honestly bad this whole situation was while we were talking.''
Shortly after the accusations against him went viral, Bell’s TikTok accounts went
private and then disappeared. It's unknown whether or not Bell was banned or if he took
them down voluntarily. Furthermore, at this time, all of these allegations are unverified,
but the behavior described by both Dylan and others is certainly troubling. Regardless
if the allegations turn out to be true or false, it’s a good reminder that the people
we think we know online are still only strangers.
3. Stumbling on a Crime Scene
In June of 2020, a group of teens decided to spend their day adventuring around their
home city of Seattle. Using the app Randonautica, which generates random geographical coordinates
within a certain radius set by the user, the kids found themselves at Alki Beach in the
western portion of the city. Whipping out their phones, they began filming the experience
for TikTok, and their discovery was later posted on the app under the username @ughhenry.
The gang spotted a black suitcase on the rocks below them and joking that it might contain
money, a couple of the teens clambered down to check it out. Upon opening the bag, a horrible
stench wafted out, with the teen boy behind the camera remarking, “It stinks, yo!”
One of the girls lifted the lid of the suitcase with a stick and was only able to see black
trash bags.
At this point, the group was disturbed by the smell and the mysterious nature of the
luggage, so they opted to call the police instead of proceeding any further. The kids’
worst suspicions were later confirmed when the suitcase and a smaller duffle bag discovered
nearby were found to contain two sets of human remains.
Later identified as 27-year-old Austin Wenner and 35-year-old Jessica Lewis, the couple
had been beaten, shot, and dismembered roughly two weeks before they were discovered by the teens.
Two months after the gruesome discovery, an arrest was made. Austin and Jessica’s landlord,
62-year-old Michael Lee Dudley, was charged with two counts of second-degree murder. Apparently,
the landlord was angry with the couple over late rent payments and bringing “criminal
activity” onto his property. The nature of this activity remains unclear, as does
the amount of rent that Austin and Jessica may or may not have owed Dudley. He remains
in jail with his bail set at $5 million.
The way that Dudley disposed of Austin and Jessica’s remains is horrifying, and though
their killer can now be brought to justice, it remains equally distressing that they were
discovered by a group of young people just out having fun.
2. Disrespecting the Dead
Unfortunately, the previous story isn’t the only example of unsuspecting teens stumbling
upon human remains. This case, however, is a little more macabre.
In July of 2021, then 17-year-old Bethany Martin and her unnamed 16-year-old friend
were out walking in southwest Bexar County, Texas, near the city of San Antonio. The pair
came across the body of a 25-year-old man lying in a drainage ditch. Martin then began
to film the situation, uploading it to her Snapchat account.
Her Snapchat footage showed Martin approaching the man’s corpse and removing his necklace
Martin separated the pendant from the chain and threw the chain into a nearby patch of grass. She
then handed the ornament to her younger friend who placed it on her own gold chain to wear.
The videos eventually found their way to the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office through an
anonymous source, and both teens were apprehended by the authorities and charged with felony
theft from a human corpse.
Less detail is known about the 16-year-old accomplice since she is a minor, but Martin’s
bail was set at $2,000 which her family later paid to have her released. Javier Salazar,
a sheriff in Bexar County, was haunted by the footage, remarking “It was disturbing
because they’re laughing…treating it is a joke.” Salazar later stated that if it
hadn’t been captured on video, he wouldn’t have believed the story.
Before her arrest, Martin uploaded two videos to TikTok referencing the event, although
they didn’t show footage of the body like her Snapchat video had.
The deceased man was later identified as Marcus Adams, and his cause of death was eventually
ruled a s...... The gold pendant removed from his neck by the girls was returned to
the parents, and the family set up a GoFundMe to help offset the costs of the funeral. Devasted
by his death and especially hurt by the disrespectful and troubling way the teens treated his son’s
body, Adams’ father, Marcus Adams, Sr. said in a statement to the press, “It’s bad
enough to steal from the living. But to steal from the dead? He’s helpless. He’s no
longer here. He couldn’t fight back.”
As of 2022, not many updates are available, but it seems that Martin has been indicted
on the charges she was initially facing.
1. Teenage Confessions
In April 2021, friends and family of 45-year-old Daniel Halseth of Las Vegas, Nevada became
concerned when he failed to respond to their calls and texts. His mother reached out to
her granddaughter Sierra, by text, asking her where her father might be. Sierra responded
that all was well and that his phone was simply “acting up.” But the unnerving silence
from Daniel continued.
Eventually, he was discovered by Las Vegas police dead in the garage of his own home.
He had been stabbed upwards of seventy times, shoved into a sleeping bag, and then set on fire.
The authorities didn’t have to look too far for a culprit. His 16-year-old daughter
Sierra and her 18-year-old boyfriend Aaron Guerrero left behind a mountain of evidence
that included a taped TikTok confession.
The two can be seen laying on the floor of what appears to be a tent,
giggling and making light of the situation.
‘’Welcome back to out YouTube channel!
Day three after murdering somebody.
Woah! Don't put that on the camera!
It was worth it.
Aside from the TikTok video that was widely circulated, the teens were also caught on
security cameras purchasing saws, bleach, and drop cloths before Daniel’s murder,
and Sierra was caught on an ATM camera using her father’s debit card after his demise.
Apparently, Sierra and her boyfriend had planned to run away to Los Angeles together towards
the end of 2020, but when both teens parents uncovered their plans, they forbade them from
seeing each other. Figuring they had no other way to be together, the pair concocted a plan
to kill Sierra’s father.
The teens were charged with murder, conspiracy, arson, robbery, and fraudulent use of a credit
card. Though Sierra is being charged as an adult, neither will face the death penalty.
At this time, both have pleaded not guilty to the charges filed, and there are no further
updates as of now.
Sure, sometimes TikTok can make you do crazy things, but in this case, it seems like TikTok
actually helped to catch a pair of cold-blooded killers.
''Day three after murdering somebody.
Woah! Don't put that on the camera!
It was worth it.''
So, what did you think of these five controversies? Is there a TikTok scandal that we missed?
Drop it in the comments below! As always, thanks for watching.