Father Devastated After Son's Web Cam Suicide

 

“I wonder if anyone who’s posted so far, whether to support the father or condemn him, realize that the young man’s displaying his suicide on the internet was a call for help.” We do. We can’t help everyone. I am sure he did not display his contact info. suicide should be legal. The main question is in blocking a similar event it will still happen, we will just be blind to it. It’s like not knowing of the holocost. If we censor it, we turn a blind eye to it, and in doing so condone it in the future.. as long as we don’t have to look at it.

- tc

Posted 11/23/08 03:18 PM

 

 

Did the son live at home? If so, didn’t the father notice that the son wasn’t at dinner or breakfast? Why didn’t he discover the suicide until the police came in the door? I don’t think anybody living in the home I grew up in would have been to just disappear for half a day without someone noticing.

- Mike

Posted 11/23/08 03:19 PM

 

 

I think if you’re a viewer in an episode like this, you must immediately call authorities rather than sit back, watch and crack jokes. So what if it’s a hoax and you end up having egg on your face for believing it? If it’s NOT a hoax and you just let it happen without lifting a finger, that’s SO much worse than being embarrassed that you called out law enforcement for what turned out to be a prank.

- Ed

Posted 11/23/08 03:19 PM

 

 

One of the fundamental legal principles in this country is that there is by default no duty to act (in the absence of a special relationship, such as father/son). You are not required by the law to save anyone. That might seem harsh but it is much better than the alternative, the so-called Bad Samaritan laws. Once people feel that they will be penalized for not helping, everyone is going to start running in and screwing up situations that they are ill-prepared to handle. As much as we want it, there is no fault here. Life isn’t always fair.

- Bruce Miller

Posted 11/23/08 03:20 PM

 

 

No one knows if this was a call for help except for the one committing suicide. If it was, that is just a stupid way to call for help. If a person wants to commit suicide it is their choice. Oh and who do you call and what would you tell them? Someone, somewhere took some pills??

- CE

Posted 11/23/08 03:20 PM

 

 

The first impulse is to make a rule so that it can’t happen again. It’s not possible, I’m afraid, nor even desirable because of implications for net and freedom of info. Suicide makes everyone feel guilty and angry and is many times inexplicable except to the deluded and despairing mind of the suicide. And it is also true that often people threaten suicide for various reasons and that makes friends or strangers jaded and unprepared for the real event. Deep sympathy to the family and suggest grief counseling rather than assessing blame. It will work better in the long run.

- Jason_M

Posted 11/23/08 03:21 PM

 

 

Pain? Ignoring pain? The one state who allowed parrents to drop off kids up to 18 at hospitals without prosicution has now backed out to 90 days. It was getting teens who were uncontrolable and had mental issues that the parrents could not handle. 90 days is not even enough to cover post partem. The result? My god.. see what we did? close the door and review this at a later time. See the pattern..

- tc

Posted 11/23/08 03:22 PM

 

 

Regulating the internet won’t help though. Don’t people remember the woman in NYC who was raped and killed within earshot of all her neighbors — decades ago? The Internet is just one big city, that way. It’s overly crowded and familiar, and also very impersonal and cold at the same time. I’m very sad this happened. But I have to wonder what his folks were doing that they missed the signs, and *weren’t* watching? They are not to *blame* either. But saying that the web hosting site should be liable is just the crying-out of a desperately unhappy parent, it just doesn’t make sense.

- Shava Nerad

Posted 11/23/08 03:23 PM

 

 

News reports say he was bipolar; if so, he had a problem. How is the viewer of that live cam site going to know that? Did his parents? They knew him; the impersonal, impartial viewer did not. Now someone wants to pass another law criticizing viewers who did not call the website? Duh! Suggest those who complain watch Saturday night reruns of the Lawerence Welk show which has been on TV for 50 years and is truly decent entertainment for all ages.

- Iowa lad

Posted 11/23/08 03:23 PM

 

 

Did he drop any good loot?

- Senior Ortega

Posted 11/23/08 03:24 PM

 

 

Side note who am I supposed to call? Excuse me 1800-internet I think something is really happening? By the time anyone would have been able to track down an IP Address associate it to an ISP have the ISP investigate it as hoax or real and decide its real sadly the drugs have taken there course and to much time was lost. The internet is global, who do I contact in China if I suspect there is something like this occuring? Long story short the average internet user wouldnt even know how to have tracked it back to an ISP let alone an individual. Nothing would have changed this outcome.

- Anonymous

Posted 11/23/08 03:26 PM

 

 

I don’t agree that a parent will necessarily know about a child’s depression. Families need society’s help, in a noninvasive way. I DO think the people who watched should be charged for what they did, and didn’t do. And to all those who think we have ‘unlimited’ freedom on the web, try mentioning a few topics that I won’t even dare to mention here. It will get you some scrutiny, I promise!

- a dad who doesn't blame the dad

Posted 11/23/08 03:33 PM

 

 

Maybe his depression was knowing he and his future kids were going to be under the burden of the failed Stock marker and the 850 billion+ bailout.

- TC

Posted 11/23/08 03:35 PM

 

 

I did not watch this web event, but if I had… exactly, what COULD I have done? Call 911 and tell them what you know and the web address. duh

- chris

Posted 11/23/08 03:37 PM

 

 

The woman who was raped and murdered in NY while the neighbors looked on was Kitty Genovese. Every first year law student learns this case. It was an example if something called The Bystander Effect. The more people who witness a problem, the less likely that anyone will help. And Abraham did have such a large audience. I encourage anyone who is unfamiliar with the case to look up Kitty Genovese’s story.

- Bruce Miller

Posted 11/23/08 03:37 PM

 

 

“I think if you’re a viewer in an episode like this, you must immediately call authorities rather than sit back, watch and crack jokes. So what if it’s a hoax and you end up having egg on your face for believing it? If it’s NOT a hoax and you just let it happen without lifting a finger, that’s SO much worse than being embarrassed that you called out law enforcement for what turned out to be a prank.” Actually making false police reports in the US is illegal. Again did he state that I live in this city and state here is the local police contact info or any information to verify who or where he was to a random anonyomous user? Now say you see a video on the internet you call the cops and say they actually know who it is rush over and in dealing with you someone is hurt badly or even killed becuase those who are meant to protect them are on a wild goose chase how would you the reporter of the hoax feel?

- Anonymous

Posted 11/23/08 03:37 PM

 

 

Parents…this should be an eye-opener. Please look at alternative ways to treat your children’s emotional issues. Stop letting doctor’s and phychiatrist push drugs on your children…you can stop this. Don’t you know that pharmaceutical companies are making billions on these drugs and don’t care at all what is happening to our children. All they care about is money, money, money these drugs are danger, danger danger!!! Spend more time with your children, love them, talk to them etc. Save your money and save their lives.

- siua

Posted 11/23/08 03:43 PM

 

 

I 100% agree with non-regulation. If a person shoots themselves in front of a crowd what do you do? Make shooting yourself in front of crowds illegal or force charges on the crowd for being there and not stopping him? See how stupid that is. I can see conservatives railing all over this to create some law against streaming live video - which would be draconian and counter-intuitive. Regardless, if it was a hoax or not and if people watched and egged him on or not, you can’t blame streaming video technology or the internet. If anyone is to blame it’s him - he carries the sole responsibility of outing himself, not his father, not the viewers, not us, not the law. Anyone who kills themselves must carry the burden of their suicide and I hope his dad gets over his selfish little son. You have to understand, you just need to let people die the way they want, there is no reason to start a hoipoloi about who is responsible - he is responsible.

- Jimmy Lazarus

Posted 11/23/08 04:04 PM

 

 

How hard is it to call the cops ask them to go to the website and see what they think? The guy’s IP address could have led them to him. Answer, not hard at all. Just kind of troublesome and potentially embarrassing if it was a hoax. People knew this was serious and chose to do nothing. Even if it was a hoax it was a crime. Poor kid I guess he was right, nobody gave a crap it was all just entertainment. I am with the father, if you see something is wrong, do something about it at least try for gosh sake.

- Laura

Posted 11/23/08 04:23 PM

 

 

This country is so full of sick, disgusting, stupid and insensitive people that were probably masturbating while this kid was dying. If I was one of the 1500 people I would have done the following. Ping the friggin URL and get the static IP address to the site. Look up the static IP address and see who owns it. Call the police and give them all of the information I have and explain whats going on. This would have taken me 5 friggin minutes people. The police do not take possible suicides lying on their back jerking off like the 1500 dorks watching online. The police could have found this kid on time and possibly could have saved his life. Never assume that someone is joking when it comes to suicide, take it seriously and act upon it as soon as you can. It could have been one of your family members you bunch of assholes.

- Marco

Posted 11/23/08 04:36 PM

 

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