A 13-year-old daughter died by suicide
A 13-year-old student died by suicide after being drawn into TCG extremism online Ruslan Sikunov/Unsplash

A Kentucky mother is warning parents about the hidden dangers of online extremism after her 13-year-old daughter died by suicide, following years of exposure to digital communities that glorify mass shooters and self-harm.

Jaimee Seitz says she had never heard of the True Crime Community, known as TCG, until days after her daughter Audree's death, when police contacted her with disturbing discoveries.

Audree, described by her mother as creative and gentle, loved playing guitar, drawing anime characters and reading the Spy School book series.

A week after celebrating her 13th birthday, she was found dead at home. Seitz initially believed the death was accidental, until a detective later revealed that Audree's journal contained drawings of school shooters and references linked to online extremist subcultures.

What Investigators Uncovered After Her Death

According to Seitz, police told her that Audree had been interacting for years on platforms including Roblox, Discord and TikTok with users in the TCG.

These online spaces, experts say, often glorify perpetrators of mass shootings and normalise violence and self-harm. Seitz believes her daughter was first exposed to such content at just eight years old.

'I think she felt comfort in being part of something,' Seitz said, adding that she believes members of these communities encouraged her daughter towards self-harm. She later recognised imagery and references in Audree's artwork, clothing requests and even usernames that were connected to notorious school shooters.

How TCG Extremism Operates Online

Researchers classify the True Crime Community as a form of nihilistic violent extremism, a subculture driven not by political ideology but by a belief that life and society are meaningless.

Experts from the Institute for Strategic Dialogue say participants often substitute aesthetics for ideology, adopting the music, clothing and imagery associated with attackers rather than their stated motives.

David Riedman, an assistant professor at Idaho State University who tracks school shootings, has said that while most people involved in TCG circles do not commit violence, a small proportion do, with devastating consequences. Data compiled by Riedman links several recent K-12 school shootings in the United States to online communities that glorify past attackers.

FBI Warnings and a Growing Threat

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has reported a sharp rise in cases linked to nihilistic violent extremism.

FBI Director Kash Patel said the bureau recorded a 300% increase in such cases between September 2024 and September 2025, describing the trend as one of the most serious threats facing the country.

The FBI confirmed it had been in contact with Audree's family but declined to comment further on her case.

Authorities have also highlighted the overlap between TCG and more overtly abusive networks such as 764, where victims are allegedly coerced into producing self-harm material.

Why Children are Vulnerable

Experts say children who feel isolated, bullied or disconnected from their peers can be especially susceptible to these online spaces.

Riedman has explained that young users may be drawn in by validation and attention, with likes, comments and private chats creating a sense of belonging that may be missing offline.

Seitz said Audree struggled to find her place at school and may have been drawn to the acceptance she found online. Despite parental controls on her phone, Seitz said coded language and imagery allowed extremist content to evade detection.

Legal Action and Platform Responses

Following her daughter's death, Seitz filed a lawsuit against Roblox, Discord and TikTok, alleging the platforms prioritised user growth over child safety, as reported by CBS News, which reviewed the complaint and responses from the companies.

The companies have said they prohibit content that glorifies violence and use technology to detect and remove harmful material.

After searching for TCG-related content on TikTok herself, Seitz said drawings she recognised from her daughter's sketchbooks appeared almost immediately. 'Everything started to click within minutes,' she said, underscoring her warning that parents may not recognise the signs until it is too late.

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