‘This is our chance to fight back’: Family testifies for harsher sextortion laws after death of 15-year-old son

By Emilee Fannon

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    MADISON, Wisconsin (WDJT) — A family from central Wisconsin provided emotional testimony to lawmakers about a growing cybercrime targeting teenagers after the death of their 15-year-old son.

Bradyn Bohn, a high school freshman from Kronenwetter, took his own life last month after falling victim to an online sextortion scheme.

His parents, Brittney and Luke Bird, visited the state Capitol Wednesday to testify in support of a bill that seeks to enhance penalties on sextortion by creating a new crime.

“My son knew what was happening and he was so afraid there was no way out,” Bird told lawmakers on the Assembly Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee.

Sextortion is when someone tricks teens into sending an explicit photo and then threatens to share it publicly if they don’t meet their demands. Scammers often ask victims, typically teen boys, for money or coerce them into other sexual activities.

Bohn was targeted relentlessly by these scammers and paid them money, but Bird said the harassment didn’t stop.

“Somebody coerced him and got to him,” said Luke Bird. “It made him so scared.”

On March 5, Bohn’s mother found a note inside their home that read, “Make sure he gets caught. I’m so sorry.”

It was a complete shock to the Bird family and everyone who knew Bohn. He was active in his high school baseball team, loved traveling, skiing, spending time with his 9-year-old- sister, and recently received his temporary driver’s license, but no signs or history of mental health concerns.

“We kept asking ourselves, ‘Why?’ and ‘What happened?’ He had plans to go skiing the next day,” Bird said. “He was completely fine the day before. Laughing with his friends in my salon as they prepared for a snow day.”

The bill coined “Bradyn’s Law” would give law enforcement tools to prosecute criminals by putting a sextortion statute on the books. The proposal also creates new penalties for individuals who cause someone’s death by sextortion, a felony charge that carries up to 15 years in prison.

The measure has broad bipartisan support and is backed by Attorney General Josh Kaul. The Wisconsin Department of Justice worked with the bill authors Rep. Patrick Snyder (R-Weston), Rep. Brent Jacobson (R-Mosinee), and Sen. Jesse James (R-Thorp) to craft the proposal.

“There are predators like this that are looking to manipulate children and possibly take their lives,” said Rep. John Spiros, chairman of the committee. “They don’t care… and now we have a child, family members, and a community that all has to deal with it.”

Sextortion has become the fastest growing cybercrime targeting children in North America, according to the FBI and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

So far this year, the Wisconsin Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force has received 103 tips related to sextortion. Those do not include direct calls to local law enforcement, the DOJ said.

In 2024, the task force received 237 cyber tips related to sextortion, up from 176 in 2023.

The Bird family said they hope by raising awareness on the topic they can prevent future tragedies.

“We’ve never going to stop these people,” said Brittney Bird. “These monsters are always going to be there. This is our chance to fight back now.”

The DOJ has provided tips and resources for parents on how to talk about the issue.

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