SC kids are being coerced to mutilate, create ‘online gore,’ AG says. What you should know
State Attorney General Alan Wilson is warning parents and schools about a rise in the number of children and teens being exploited online through appeals for “gore material,” where minors create videos harming themselves or animals.
In a series of news releases this week, Wilson alerted parents and schools about an increasing threat of online groups targeting children and teens — particularly those struggling with mental health — across South Carolina. The groups, such as the 764 movement, look for minors to create online gore material by coercing them to cut themselves, produce child sexual abuse material, torture or kill animals and even commit suicide, a release said. The groups also use sextortion and bestiality to victimize juveniles.
The 764 movement is a collection of online groups that promote violence among minors by forcing them to create child sexual abuse material, which it then leverages against kids to coerce them to produce violent content online. This is also known as a form of sextortion.
The State asked four local law enforcement agencies and a children’s doctor about Wilson’s warning. While some recognize that online schemes to exploit vulnerable children are a problem, fewer than five specific instances have been reported or investigated in recent months.
All of those cases stem from investigations conducted by the FBI Columbia office.
Local agencies, including the Columbia Police Department, Richland County Sheriff’s Department, Lexington County Sheriff’s Department and Lexington Police Department, all say they haven’t investigated any cases involving any degree of online child exploitation.
In a release, Wilson said the FBI briefed his office on the “disturbing rise of online groups that prey on vulnerable youth.”
In 2022, the FBI and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, among other agencies, investigated an online sextortion case that resulted in a death by suicide. The victim, Gavin Guffey — the son of state Rep. Brandon Guffey, R-York — was contacted online in 2022 by a man pretending to be a young woman.
The man solicited illicit photos of Gavin before threatening to expose them if Gavin and his family failed to pay a certain amount of money. As a result, Gavin ended his life in summer 2022.
A Nigerian man, Hassanbunhussein Abolore Lawal, 24, of the country’s Osun State, was ultimately extradited from Nigeria to face charges in South Carolina.
Dr. Deborah Greenhouse, a veteran pediatrician in Columbia, says detecting cases of online child exploitation by a physician is difficult because of the timing associated in discovering the abuse.
“I’m not aware of any cases (of online child exploitation), but the problem with this is that you may not be aware of these cases until it’s too late,” Greenhouse told The State. “And most kids are not going to be willing to divulge this type of information, so it’s really hard to figure it out,” adding that just because she’s not currently aware of any cases doesn’t mean she doesn’t have any.
In another case investigated by the FBI, Leon-Bobby Jones-Hubbard, 31, of Columbia was indicted in January on 22 counts, including sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion; two counts of sex trafficking of a minor; nine counts of production and attempted production of child sexual abuse materials; nine counts of coercion and enticement of a minor into illegal sexual conduct; and one count of distribution of child sexual abuse material, according to a news release.
The indictment alleges that from at least June 2023 to present, Jones-Hubbard used social media to target and exploit 10 minor victims who ranged from 5 to 16 years old, the release said. Jones-Hubbard paid the victims money using Cash App, PayPal and Meta Pay to induce and entice the children into illegal sexual conduct, according to the release.
Another man, Jack Keegan Davis, 21, of Columbus, Ohio, was indicted in November on six counts, including coercion and enticement of minors, production, distribution, and possession of child pornography, and cyberstalking, a news release said.
Davis used at least four social media platforms and 130 social media display names to pose as a minor and interact with minors on social media across several states, including South Carolina, according to a news release.
While posing as a minor, Davis used social media to coerce victims to engage in online sexual conduct for the purpose of creating child sexual abuse material. He also purportedly used the material to harass and threaten death to at least one minor victim and their family, the release said.
Greenhouse said threats of online child exploitation have been around for a long time, but have become more egregious in recent years.
“I think what we’re seeing now is different because it’s far more organized,” Greenhouse said. “It’s not something that is just coming from a bully at school. It’s coming from folks who are doing this intentionally. They’re choosing their targets intentionally. And it’s really, really scary, honestly.
“Sending out this type of information as a cautionary message ... was a very good idea on the attorney general’s part, and I appreciate that he did that,” Greenhouse said.
Wilson, in a release, highlighted signals that may identify a child at risk for participating or becoming a victim of online extortion. They include:
- Teens and pre-teens aged 11-17 who experience mood disorders such as depression and anxiety, or are part of the LGBT community.
- Spend an unusual amount of time online in a private space such as a bedroom (these activities usually take place on a desktop, laptop, or gaming computer).
- Refer to “friends” by screen names only.
- Have any signs of cutting themselves (this can be done anywhere on the body). The cuts are used to make a “blood-sign,” which is the writing of a message in blood, usually written in the bathroom/shower, then photographed.
- The harming of pets and animals (most specifically cats).
- Receive gifts, money, food deliveries, etc. from online or unknown relationships.
If a parent suspects that their child is a victim of online exploitation, they are encouraged to immediately report it to local law enforcement or the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI, a release said.
This story was originally published April 4, 2025 at 5:30 AM.
