Megan Meier
Posted on 11/21/2007 9:26:06 AM PST by Between the Lines
An Internet hoax that apparently led to the suicide of a teenage girl has stoked outrage online, divided the suburb where the girl lived and prompted calls to reform online harassment laws.
About a year ago, 13-year-old Megan Meier hanged herself inside her parents' home in Dardenne Prairie, Ill. The apparent cause, her parents have said, was the sudden decline of her online relationship with a 16-year-old boy they thought was named Josh Evans.
But, soon after their daughter's death, Tina and Ron Meier discovered that there was no Josh Evans. They say the boy who pretended to be Megan's friend and then sent her nasty messages was the creation of an adult neighbor.
Though police and prosecutors have investigated, a year later, no criminal charges have been filed against the woman who allegedly created the online profile, and it's unclear whether any will be brought.
But that hasn't stopped an outpouring of hostility against her, both online and in the real world. The story hit the national media late last week, with Megan's parents appearing on "Good Morning America" and the "Today" show. Though the newspapers and networks declined to identify the real-life "Josh Evans," bloggers quickly outed her and posted her family's name, address and phone number online.
Since then, messages threatening the family have been posted online. A brick was thrown through their window. Someone drove a truck over their front lawn, according to police. A paint-ball was shot against the house.
The woman, who also has a young daughter, has received threatening phone calls; people have screamed obscenities as they drive by the house, a neighbor said. Police descended on the house in the middle of the night last week, neighbors said, after an apparent fake 911 call was made.
Police are concerned that the harassment, first reported by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, may escalate.
"We believe that all the publicity about this situation has led to an air of vigilantism," said Lt. Craig McGuire of the St. Charles County Sheriff's Department. "We're concerned people will take things into their own hands."
Megan, who sometimes suffered from low self-esteem and depression, was elated when she got an e-mail on the social networking site MySpace from a cute boy named "Josh Evans," her parents said. Josh claimed to be a 16-year-old boy who lived nearby. He said he was home-schooled and didn't yet have a phone.
The two developed a virtual friendship that lasted more than a month before things inexplicably took a downward turn. "Megan gets an e-mail, or a message from Josh on her MySpace on Oct. 15, 2006, saying, 'I don't know if I want to be friends with you any longer because I hear you're not nice to your friends,'" Tina Meier said on "GMA."
Insulting messages calling Megan "fat" and a "slut" were being posted, according to The Associated Press.
Tina Meier discovered her daughter's body in a bedroom closet the next day. She had hanged herself.
Six weeks after Megan's death, a neighbor told the Meiers that there was no Josh Evans. He was a fictitious creation of woman whose daughter knew Megan and lived down the street.
The Meiers knew the woman who allegedly created the profile. Her family had asked the Meiers whether they could store their foosball table. The woman attended Megan's funeral, according to the AP.
Once they learned of the family's involvement, the Meiers allegedly destroyed the table, placed it in the woman's yard and encouraged the family to move, according to the AP.
The Meiers said they don't think the woman wanted Megan to commit suicide. But they still hold her responsible for their daughter's death.
"I believe they are the ones who took her to the edge of the cliff and forced her to go over," Ron Meier said. "Everything that we found out so far — it was the sole idea of the mother."
No charges have been filed in the case and the local prosecutor has said it appears no laws were broken. McGuire said the sheriff's department and local and federal prosecutors investigated the case and concluded that they could not file criminal charges.
But, it appears that the Josh Evans profile and messages could have violated a federal cyberstalking law, which prevents people from sending abusive or threatening messages, said Perry Aftab, a cyberlaw expert. Aftab, who runs WiredSafety, which helps victims of so-called cyberabuse, said this was one of the few instances she could recall of adults harassing children online.
The involvement of an adult set Megan's story apart from traditional cyberbullying, she said. "This is particularly heinous," she added.
Some neighbors of the family accused of setting up the profile agreed.
"I do think it's criminal, and I think they should be held responsible for it," said Terri Hutchinson.
With the publicity, county prosecutor Jack Banas has said he will re-examine the case. Wednesday, the local town council will propose an ordinance that will criminalize this kind of online harassment, making it a misdemeanor, said Pam Fogarty, the mayor of Dardenne Prairie.
"It's not much, but at least it's something," Fogarty said of the proposed ordinance. "I think it's absolutely horrible that an adult can do this to a child, much less the mother of a friend and there is nothing to charge her with."
I think it should at least be made difficult to continue to live there.
Reaping what they have sown, with interest. Let’s see how much they enjoy being harassed and mind-gamed. They sure had no qualms about doing it to a teenager.
That said, I feel bad for their own teenage daughter.
They thought it would be fun to screw with someone, and now they are learning what it is like to be screwed with.
I hope the police don't waste any resources on them that could be used more efficeintly elsewhere.
They made their bed: let them lie in it.
At the very least, they should move out of that neighborhood..
I should hope so. There are numerous grounds for prosecution.
Whatever happens to these people, happens to these people.
This case just blows me away. These are supposed to be ADULTS? And they do something like this?
I doubt very seriously that they will stay in that neighborhood for more than two or three more months. There probably isn’t a single neighbor who will associate with them and they won’t be able to count on anyone for help when they need it. Some punks from the area...will eventually choose their residence as the “egg” target...and some folks might go for stronger punishment. Even selling the house....will be difficult...with a $20k discount to probably get people interested into buying it.
I have a guy at work...over 30 years old...who acts like this on practical jokes now to almost everyone who knows him. Over the course of five years...people have stopped laughing at the jokes and can’t take him serious whatsoever...yet he still does his games. I had to cut the guy off from any conversation with me...unless its strictly professional...and I’ve started the practice in the office of others doing the same thing. There are no welcome points for this guy anymore to pull his practical jokes.
We all know characters like this...who live off practical jokes and will do stuff that is way beyond just “fun”...and in this case with the teenager...this was no longer “fun” and I can’t see anything being gained out of a game like this.
More evidence of the existence of Evil among us. Only an evil person would harass a teenager for kicks.
Their punishment will come in the hereafter.
Error in the article. This sad incident didn’t happen in “Dardenne Prairie, Ill”, it was thanks to Curt and Lori Drew of Dardenne Prairie, MO.
Megan Meier
When I was a kid I thought adults were somehow different from children. Then I grew up and realized how many people never actually became *adults*. Sure, they had adult faces and bodies and were allowed to do adult things. But they will always be immature children by nature.
susie
I have always told my son that adults are just large children.
Well, yes, but there actually are those of us who take being adult as a serious thing. Even tho we might think of doing childish things, we also remember who we are and that we teach kids how to behave simply by behaving that way ourselves.
susie
Yes they do.
‘Though police and prosecutors have investigated, a year later, no criminal charges have been filed against the woman who allegedly created the online profile, and it’s unclear whether any will be brought. ‘
As noted on Ingrahams hosted ‘The Factor’ in BOR’s place, there is a federal law that pertains here, and should have already been used to charge at least the ‘mother’ that perpetrated this hoax.
They deserve all of this an much, much more. Karma will get them in the end.
“I should hope so. There are numerous grounds for prosecution.”
So calling somone names under a fake moniker is illegal? Goodbye internet.
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