Facebook Live Used To Broadcast Suicide Of 14-Yr. Old Miami Teen And Aspiring Actor Jay Bowdy [VIDEO]
ByFourteen-year-old Nakia Venant just used Facebook Live to broadcast her suicide by hanging herself last Sunday in the bathroom of her foster home. The day after, 33-year old aspiring actor Jay Bowdy used the same service to broadcast his own death by shooting himself inside his car.
Facebook Live is a video streaming service where users can share and broadcast online important events live. Big companies and celebrities use the service in launching special events or movie releases. Ordinary people do too and in this week alone, two people used it to broadcast their own deaths.
Miami-Dade teen and 14-year old Nakia Venant used Facebook Live in a two-hour long video to broadcast her suicide. In the video, Venant was seen using a scarf to make a homemade noose, according to Miami Herald.
A friend of Venant who watched the Facebook Live feed contacted the Miami-Dade police, who later arrived at her home. The police then went to the address given but discovered it was the wrong one.
The residents of the second home gave the address of Venant's foster home in Miami Gardens. This is where they found the eight-grader in the bathroom, hanging from a scarf attached to the shower glass door. The police and the fire-rescue crew attempted to resuscitate Venan, but she was later pronounced dead at the Jackson North Hospital.
The troubled teen has been in different foster homes since she was 7 years old. She was removed from the care of her biological mother, Gina Alexis, after a reported case of corporal punishment. Attorney Howard Talenfeld, who is representing Alexis, revealed that Venant was abused by a 14-year old foster boy when she was still 7, CBS reported.
Last Monday, another suicide was played out on Facebook Live posted by aspiring actor and 33-year old Jay Bowdy. Bowdy was later found dead after shooting himself inside his car. The suicide comes days after Bowdy was charged with sexual assault, according to Mail Online.
Facebook representative Christine Chen did not confirm if indeed Venant used the service to stream her own death. Chen revealed that Facebook Live is used by several users to "share experiences in the moment" and that the company interrupts feeds violating Community Standards.
Incorporated in Facebook Live is a way to report any violation in using the popular streaming service. Chen advises users to contact local authorities whenever they see someone in need of intervention.