COLUMBUS, Ohio — Jennifer Markus spent months wondering what drove her teenage son to take his own life. When she discovered the truth, it was even more horrifying than she could have imagined.
“Essentially, somebody came into our house and, in my eyes, murdered my kid in front of the whole world,” she said.
Braden Markus died by suicide on Oct. 17, 2021. It was a shocking blow to his family who said the days leading up to this death were happy ones. Ten months later, Braden’s mother discovered the reason her son took his own life. The 15-year-old was a victim of what the FBI calls the fastest growing crime in the nation: Sextortion.
“I didn’t even have a clue what it was until that day,” Jennifer Markus said.
The day he took his life, Braden received an Instagram message from a predator posing as a teenage girl. The predator shared images of the alleged girl with Braden, then asked him for pictures of himself. After Braden shared one, the predator threatened to publish it on the internet unless the teen paid them $1,800. Braden begged for the predator to stop, but they didn’t. Within 27 minutes of that first message, Braden took his own life.
“Why the kid that was always smiling and got along with everybody,” Jennifer Markus asked. “Why? Why did you target him?”
Braden and his family aren’t alone. Between October 2021 and March 2023, the FBI and Homeland Security received more than 13,000 reports of financial sextortion of minors involving at least 12,600 victims. Most of the victims were boys. The crimes led to at least 20 people dying by suicide.
“We wanted to do something to make sure, at a minimum, that this never happens again,” said Rachel Winder, an attorney and friend of the Markus family.
These horrifying experiences inspired Braden’s family to use their loss to help make other children safer. That’s why Jennifer Markus teamed up with friend and attorney Rachel Winder. She’s a government relations manager at Benesch Law and convinced her employer to help pro bono. Together, they paired with Ohio State Rep Beth Lear, Rep. Brian Lorenz, and State Sen. Andrew Brenner to create Braden’s Law.
If passed, the bill would make sextortion a felony time in Ohio with extended prison time. It would also give parents of deceased minors digital access within 30 days to prevent other families from waiting for months for answers, like Braden’s had to.
“This is a new crime. Sextortion isn’t something that existed five years ago,” Winder said.
“It’s for Brade and for all other Ohio families, but it’s very specific to what Jen and her family had to go through,” Winder added.
Jennifer hopes the law will protect others, but it won’t bring back her little boy. Seniors will graduate from Olentangy High School on Sunday. Braden won’t be with him. Instead of walking across the stage with his classmates, the high school will keep an empty seat in his honor.
“He’s not graduating, so it’s been a living hell,” Jennifer Markus said.