MARQUETTE TEENAGER WANT YOU TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO THEIR SON. I HOPE YOU’RE WITH US AT FIVE,
BECAUSE MOMENTS AGO, THEY TOOK
US THROUGH THIS SEXTORTION
SCHEME, ALLEGEDLY INVOLVING
THREE MEN FROM NIGERIA POSING AS
A YOUNG WOMAN ON INSTAGRAM.
YEAH, THEIR SON WAS TARGETED
PRESSURE, AND IT ENDED WHEN
JORDAN TOOK HIS OWN LIFE. IT IS
HEARTBREAKING FOR THEM TO SHARE,
BUT THEY WANT YOU TO KNOW SO YOU
CAN TALK TO YOUR CHILDREN ABOUT
IT.
>> JORDAN AND I WERE GOING TO GO
AND GET TATTOOS TOGETHER AFTER
HE TURNED 18 IN, SO I DECIDED TO
STILL GO AHEAD AND DO THAT. ONE
OF THE THINGS WE ALWAYS SAID I’D
OR WOULD WRITE IN CARDS TO EACH
OTHER WAS LOVE YOU TO THE MOON
AND BACK.
>> MOM, WHAT’S THE PAST YEAR
BEEN LIKE?
>> IT’S BEEN EXTREMELY DIFFICULT
WITHOUT HIM HERE. FOR ME, FOR MY
KIDS. I’M SURE THE SAME FOR JOHN
AND HIS FAMILY. THERE’S STILL A
PART OF ME THAT THINKS HE’S
GOING TO COME THROUGH MY FRONT
DOOR, THROUGH THEIR PAIN.
>> JORDAN’S PARENTS HAVE FOUND
PURPOSE, TEACHING CHILDREN AND
PARENTS HOW TO BE SMARTER ABOUT
SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE, WHICH
INCLUDES ENCOURAGING KIDS TO
SPEAK UP WHEN THEY MAKE A
MISTAKE, SOMETHING JORDAN MAY
HAVE BEEN AFRAID TO DO.
>> THAT’S THE TWISTED PART OF
THIS ENTIRE SEXTORTION STUFF,
AND THAT’S THAT’S WHY THESE
CRIMINALS TARGET THESE TYPES OF
YOUTH. A LOT OF TIMES WHAT
PARENTS DO IS WE’RE CONSTANTLY
SAYING, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO.
RIGHT. THAT’S WHO I AM. I’M
LIKE, DO NOT DO THIS. DO NOT DO
THIS. DO NOT SEND PICTURES. THIS
IS MY PHONE. DO NOT DO THIS.
DON’T DO, DON’T, DON’T. WHAT WE
DON’T DO AS PARENTS IS SAY, BUT
IF YOU DO, YOU KNOW. AND SO I’M
TRYING TO BE BETTER AT THAT AS A
PARENT WITH MY YOUNGER GIRLS
SAYING, IF YOU DO THIS, IT’S
OKAY. I’M GOING TO LOVE YOU. I’M
STILL GOING TO LOVE YOU. I’M
GOING TO BE MAD. YOU’RE GOING TO
BE GROUNDED. BUT WE’RE GOING TO
FIX THIS AND JORDAN WAS SO
WILLFUL AND SO, SO POISED AND HE
JUST LIKE YOU SAID, HE WAS JUST
IN IN THAT POSITION IN LIFE
WHERE HE WAS HE DID NOT WANT TO
DISAPPOINT US. AND HE FELT THAT
THE ONLY WAY OUT OF THIS THING
WAS TO DO THAT. AND THEY WERE
PRESSING HIM HARD. THEY WERE
THEY WERE TELLING HIM THEY WERE
GOING TO MAKE HIM DO THIS, YOU
KNOW, AND IT WAS JUST PUSH,
PUSH, PUSH, PUSH, PUSH LATE AT
NIGHT, NOT THINKING PROPERLY.
AND IT HAPPENED. MAKE SURE WHO
YOU ARE TALKING TO ON THE SOCIAL
MEDIA PLATFORMS THAT THEY ARE,
WHO THEY SAY THEY ARE.
>> EVEN IF YOU HAVE SOME SOME
MUTUAL FRIENDS IN COMMON, IT
STILL MIGHT NOT BE WHO YOU THINK
IT IS. YOU KNOW, LET YOUR KIDS
KNOW IT’S OKAY TO GO TO SOMEONE
FOR HELP. THIS IS MUCH BIGGER
THAN THAN WHAT YOU CAN HANDLE.
JUST GO TO SOMEONE AND ASK FOR
HELP. YOUR LIFE IS WORTH IT.
>> WE NEED TO BE BETTER AT NOT
NOT ALLOWING OUR KIDS TO BE
SECLUSIVE ON THEIR DEVICES,
MEANING NOT IN THEIR BEDROOMS,
NOT IN THE BASEMENT, YOU KNOW,
NOT OUT IN THE GARAGE, NOT IN
THE TREE HOUSE.
>> AND THAT’S A SIMPLE THING
THAT SIMPLE THING THAT EVERY
PARENT CAN DO.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
>> IT IS TOUGH TO SIT AND TALK
ABOUT THE THINGS THAT HAPPENED
TO JORDAN THAT NIGHT AND THINK
ABOUT THAT. OUR SON IS NO LONGER
WITH US. THIS IS JORDAN’S STORY
, AND THAT’S WHAT MOTIVATES US
TO GO OUT AND TELL IT, TO TRY
AND SAVE SOMEONE ELSE. AND
THAT’S WHY THEY’RE DOING THIS,
TO SAVE LIVES.
>> SO HAVE THAT CONVERSATION
WITH YOUR CHILDREN ABOUT THIS
SCHEME AND THAT IF IT HAPPENS TO
THEM, THEY SHOULD TELL SOMEONE
IT’S GOING TO BE OKAY. SO
JENNIFER AND JOHN WOULD LIKE TO
SEE CHANGES WITH SOCIAL MEDIA TO
PROTECT OUR CHILDREN. I FOCUS ON
THAT TOMORROW MORNING AT 6 A.M.
AND THEN AT 7 A.M, THE FBI WILL
ACTUALLY BE LIVE IN STUDIO TO
TAKE A DEEPER DIVE ON THE RISE
OF THESE CASES AND WHAT PARENTS
SHOULD DO TO REPORT THESE CASES
. MY 5 P.M. REPORT, BY THE WAY,
AND MY FULL INTERVIEW WITH
JORDAN’S PARENTS IS UP RIGHT NOW
ON CLICKONDETROIT.COM. AND I
ENCOURAGE YOU TO LOOK AT IT,
LOOK AT IT WITH YOUR CHILDREN,
TOO. WE CAN’T RECOMMEND THAT
ENOUGH.
>> THE. THE NIGERIAN MEN CHARGED
IN THIS CASE, THE BELIEF IS THAT
THEY’VE DONE THIS WITH MANY
OTHER PEOPLE, BUT THIS IS THE
ONLY THIS IS THE ONLY CASE
CHARGED. RIGHT. THIS WILL BE A
LANDMARK CASE WHEN IT GOES
THROUGH.
>> YEAH, IT’S REALLY INCREDIBLE