Streetsboro family educates other parents about sextortion after tragic death of their son

By Miriam Conner

Tamia Woods and her husband Tim of Streetsboro are suffering the unimaginable reality of life without their only child, James.

James was a junior in high school when he died by suicide last November.

“We did everything we thought we were supposed to do to be good parents,” Tamia Woods says in a recent interview on “aParently Speaking” episode #89, presented by Northeast Ohio Parent.

Tamia Woods says James was the light of their lives, had good friends, did well in school and was on the track team.

Like many 17 year olds, James liked to play video games and spend time on social media.

The Woods family says they didn’t know at the time, but James was targeted by online predators and was a victim of sextortion. This occurs when someone threatens to distribute your private and sensitive material if you don’t send them money or other favors.

Tamia Woods shares on the podcast that James received a “DM”, a direct message through Instagram. He read the message from whom he thought was a girl his age. They messaged back and forth for a short time and then this person started sending James pictures and asking for pictures of James. Once this predator got what they wanted, they began threatening James, telling him he had to pay or they were going to send these photos to everyone and ruin him.

According to his parents, the predators barraged James with messages. James did in fact send some money, but it was not enough to stop them. They eventually did send the photos to some of James’s friends via Instagram.

Tamia Woods says on the podcast, after James died, the family found out what was happening by checking their son’s phone.

According to the Department of Homeland Security, sextortion — the act of threatening to share nude or explicit images — is more common than you may think, and cases affecting young children, teens and adults have increased exponentially in the past two years. In fact, Homeland Security Investigations received over 3,000 sextortion tips in fiscal year 2022.

The predators can be next to impossible to catch, they are most often from other countries and take the necessary steps to be hard to trace.

Tim and Tamia Woods began speaking out and telling James’s story immediately in hopes to educate parents about sextortion. To make sure parents know that boys ages 14-17 are targeted specifically and to be aware and educated about the social media tactics that predators use.

The Woods family also created the Do It for

James Foundation (DIFJF). The nonprofit organization works with communities to increase awareness, provide support and education to both parents and children on crime against students, while also supplying a wide range of assistance for those in need (letsdifj.org).

“We want to make sure James did not die in vain,” Tamia Woods says. “We want to help raise awareness and encourage communication between parents and children and encourage education of the different cyberbullying that can take place on social media.”

Listen to the full story on the podcast on NortheastOhioParent.com

If you or someone you know may be struggling with suicidal thoughts, you can call the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) If you or someone you know has been a victim of sextortion, contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI.