Before we begin today's conversation, we want to give you some important context. In this episode,

you'll hear from John and Shannon as they share the story of their 16-year-old son, Elijah. Elijah was a

bright, kind, and creative young man who loved his family and friends, had big plans for the future,

and brought so much joy to the people around him.

Elijah's life was tragically cut short after he became the target of an online extortion scheme, a form of exploitation where predators manipulate and blackmail their victims,

often using threats and explicit imagery. In Elijah's case, the people targeting him used

fake AI generatedgenerated images.

What happened to Elijah is something no family should ever have to face, and John and Shannon

are bravely sharing their story in the hope that it can raise awareness and help protect others.

We also want to give a clear content warning. This episode discusses topics including child's

extortion and suicide. If these subjects are difficult for you, please take care as you listen.

And finally, you may notice some inconsistencies in the audio throughout this conversation.

We appreciate your understanding, and we're grateful you're here to listen to this important

story.

Now, let's get into the episode.

If you want to start, I would love if you could tell us about Elijah.

You know who he was, what he loved, what made him so special.

Elijah was our 16-year-old son.

He was a lot like any other 16-year-old son.

He spent his days kind of, you know, spent talking to his friends, going to school.

He loved school.

He was excited about a lot of things that were going on.

...