Megan Moore, the mother of Caleb Moore, 14, of El Dorado, who killed himself after being sexually extorted, testified on February 5, 2026 before the House Judiciary Committee in favor of a bill that would increase the penalties for the crime and provide educational materials. (Grace Hills photo for Kansas Reflector)
The Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is a telephone helpline for people in crisis or for those who want to help someone else. To speak to a certified listener, call 988.
Crisis Text Line is a texting service for emotional support in crisis. To speak to a trained listener, text HELLO to 741741. It’s free, available 24/7 and confidential.
TOPEKA — Three parents testified before the House Judiciary Committee Thursday about losing their teenage sons to suicide after the boys were targeted by online sex extortion schemes.
Caleb Moore, Gavin Guffey and Evan Boettler were each approached by what appeared to be teenage girls online and pressured to send sexually explicit pictures. The people behind the accounts – later revealed to be scammers – threatened to expose the images if the boys did not pay them. All three committed suicide.
The parents testified in support House Bill 2537which would increase the penalties for sex extortion when an adult targets a child and require the state to provide educational materials warning Kansans about the crime.
For Caleb, a 14-year-old from El Dorado, the scammers asked for a $50 Apple gift card. Morgan Moore, Caleb’s mother, said Caleb responded to the Nigerian scammers by saying he had $46 in cash.
“When the threats didn’t stop and didn’t give my son more time to find an Apple Store, he sent them a picture of the gun and told them what his intentions were if they didn’t stop,” Moore said.
“They encouraged him to do so over a $50 Apple gift card,” she added. “Nobody can convince me that anyone anywhere in the world wants a $50 gift card that badly. I think it’s on the level of terrorism, social engineering, psychological warfare, and it’s aimed at children who will grow up to be the pillars we want in our communities.”
Caleb died in June. Moore held back tears as she described her son’s death.
It was 35 minutes between the crook’s first threat and Caleb’s death. Moore wonders if Caleb would still be alive if he had known about the murder.
“That’s what sextortion does,” Moore said. “It gains power through silence, speed and isolation. It convinces a child that there is no survivable outcome and no way out of the situation.”
Moore said teenagers are reluctant to talk about their problems.
“I think they’re aware that these boys don’t want to embarrass their parents, they don’t want to let their friends down, they don’t want to let their schools down,” Moore said. “They’re taking advantage of that.”
The bill would direct the Attorney General’s Office to provide educational materials about the crime and work with the State Board of Education and law enforcement to distribute them.
Brandon Guffey, a legislator from Rock Hill, South Carolina, launched a nonprofit organization dedicated to fighting sex extortion after his son, Gavin, killed himself in 2022. Since Gavin’s death, the number of victims under 18 has increased. grew up fast – especially with the rise of artificial intelligence. He said that by using AI, scammers can now use a photograph of a child’s face to create realistic sexually explicit images.
“I strongly believe that if my son knew that this was happening to many teenagers and that he was not alone and that he was a victim of organized criminal networks, he would be with us today,” Guffey told the committee. “I received literally hundreds of calls from suicidal teenagers in my support who were brave enough to seek help. I know that sharing Gavin’s story saved lives. I now know that in my political childhood, my own ignorance of thinking of fellow MPs as the enemy could have cost additional teenage lives.”
Brad Boettler, of Aurora, Missouri, testifies on February 5, 2026, before the House Judiciary Committee. (Grace Hills photo for Kansas Reflector)
Brad Boettler, of Aurora, Missouri, said his son Evan killed himself after being sexually extorted in 2024.
“We were an involved, open family. As educators, we talked to Evan about the dangers of social media, the dangers we knew,” Boettler said. “What I didn’t know was sextortion. After I lost Evan, I learned that sextortion is one of the fastest growing crimes against children, especially teenage boys. Families across the country are losing sons and daughters the same way we lost Evan.”
MPs also heard testimony for Bill 2594which seeks to remedy a breach of privacy statute.
The bill was requested by Smith County District Attorney Tabitha Owen, who said current law defines blackmail as threatening to release any media obtained through an invasion of privacy. But the breach of privacy statute has an age requirement of 18 and over.
“This, perhaps unintentionally, creates a loophole where a person can threaten to disseminate sexually explicit media of a person under the age of 18 without committing an act of blackmail under Kansas law,” Owen said.
She said the bill would also cover artificial intelligence and other digitally created images as blackmail, which both groups of speakers said was a growing concern.
There were no opponents to either bill.