Chilling text message teenage boy received before taking his own life - as his ... trends now
The grieving parents of a teenage boy who took his own life after falling prey to a 'sextortion' scam have spoken out in a bid to help other young Aussie victims.
Rohan Cosgriff, from Ballarat in the Central Highlands of Victoria, about 115 km north-west of Melbourne, had 'befriended' a teenage girl on Instagram.
The 17-year-old did not realise the girl he spoke with was a ruthless scammer from Nigeria.
After earning his trust, the cruel hoaxer convinced Rohan to send an explicit photo of himself.
Once the photo was sent, the extortionist threatened to make Rohan's image public and demanded the teen pay $1,000.
Within hours of being blackmailed, Rohan took his own life on July 26, 2022.
Rohan Cosgriff, 17, (pictured) took his own life in 2022 after falling victim to a sextortion scam
On the night of Rohan's death, his dad, Anthony Cosgriff, was doing paperwork on his computer when his wife, Beck, noticed their son was not in his room.
When he didn't answer his mobile phone, the couple began searching the house and their horse stables for him.
'I thought I'll just go over and check what we call the oval, which was the grassy area where we always played ball games next to the house,' Mr Cosgriff told 7News Spotlight.
Mr Cosgriff spotted his son's body there and made the heartbreaking discovery that he had committed suicide.
The devastated father tried everything he could to bring his son back and performed CPR until paramedics arrived.
A sobbing Mrs Cosgriff said she and her husband sat in their car and watched as paramedics worked on their son but could not save him.
'I went inside, and I didn't want Rohan to be cold, so I just grabbed his doona,' Mrs Cosgriff said.
'We had a pillow as well, and just put the pillow under his head and we just laid down with him in the rain and just patted his hair and told him we loved him.'
His grief-stricken parents Beck and Anthony Cosgriff (pictured) spoke out about the devastating death of their son in the hope they can prevent other young Aussies from falling victim to the cruel scam
The very next day, police found a note inside Rohan's bedroom that read: 'I'm sorry. I've made a huge mistake. I love you all so much.'
The Cosgriffs soon found out their son was a victim of a sextortion scam and have spoken out in the hope they can help other young Aussies.
Rohan had told the scammer blackmail was illegal and
