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Young Lad Took His Own Life After Being 'Catfished By Girl On Facebook'

Young Lad Took His Own Life After Being 'Catfished By Girl On Facebook'

"When he finished her, she started torturing him."

Mel Ramsay

Mel Ramsay

A young lad tragically took his own life after he was 'catfished on Facebook'.

If you're unfamiliar with the term, 'catfishing' is when someone pretends to be someone else on social media.

Mitch Bowie, 18, was found by his brother in July this year. His family have been fighting for justice, and told a hearing at Teesside Coroner's Court that Mitch was speaking to a girl on Facebook 'from Liverpool' who'd 'told him to kill himself', but the pair had never met in person.

The Metro reported that his sister, Sinead, said: "(The girl) was stalking Mitchell and had really done his head in. (She) would tell him to kill himself."

Mitch's brother, Jay, released a statement which read: "She also rang the house phone constantly.

"When he finished her, she started torturing him."

The story gets more distressing, as apparently the 'catfish' had a 'cousin' who also began contacting Mitch. The night before his body was found, the 'cousin' sent a picture of Mitch 'preparing to kill himself' to members of his family.

Sinead continued: "Police have never taken a detailed examination of who she is or what she is.

"She won't say where she comes from or who she is. I believe the cousin is (the Facebook girlfriend).

"These girls are not who they say they are. (The Facebook girlfriend) is a fake person. Police have still not found (her)."

Coroner Clare Bailey, who was present at the hearing, said: "It would suggest that she didn't take his threat seriously because she sent it to family members rather than the police."

The police went to interview the 'cousin' after Mitch's death. However, no 'appropriate adult' was present at the time, so they decided to not 'press too hard for information'. The 'cousin' has now refused to give a statement to the police.

Absolutely tragic story.

Suicide is the number one killer of males under the age of 45 in the UK and males are three times more likely to kill themselves than women.

There's plenty of help out there, so, please, if you're feeling down and can't see a way out talk to someone. You can speak to the guys over at The CALMzone who offer amazing support to anyone when things get tough.

The helpline and web chat service are open 5pm to midnight, every day of the year. Nationwide: 0800 58 58 58; London: 0808 802 58; Webchat: www.thecalmzone.net/get-help

You can contact the Samaritans on a Freephone number - 116 123. Alternatively, you can email [email protected]

Featured image credit: Facebook

Featured Image Credit:

Topics: Facebook