Parents say 13-year-old son died after attempting dangerous social media challenge

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Murrieta, Ca. — Parents are mourning the sudden death of their teen son who believed participated in a dangerous social media challenge.

Parents mourn death 13-year-old teen son

Nnamdi Glenn Ohaeri Jr., affectionately known by friends and family as “Deuce,” was just 13 years old.

• He was the eldest of four boys.
• He loved music and playing sports, especially football.
• Coming from a military family. Deuce enjoyed family activities and spending time with loved ones.

On the morning of Feb 3, Ohaeri Jr.’s mother and father found him unresponsive in his bedroom after the family spent the previous day watching the Grammy Awards together, KTLA reported.

After finding their son unresponsive, his mother began CPR while his father called 911. They then rushed Duece to a neighbor for help.

The teen was later pronounced deceased, and at first, it appeared he had taken his own life.

13-year-old possibly participated in dangerous social media challenge

However, his parents grew skeptical and began investigating on their own. It led them to discover that their son had learned of a dangerous social media challenge.

It remains unclear whether the teen’s death has been officially ruled a suicide or whether police are still investigating the circumstances.

Dangerous social media challenge

Similar dangerous TikTok challenges, like the “Blackout Challenge,” encourage people to hold their breath until they pass out due to a lack of oxygen. TikTok is facing several lawsuits from parents who believe their children died after taking part in the viral trend.

The distraught parents said the challenge is the only explanation that makes sense.

They said Ohaeri Jr. didn’t have any social media accounts and his phone had strict parental controls. They believe he may have learned of the game from other students at school.

The family said they hope sharing Deuce’s story will warn other parents to stay alert to what their children may encounter on social media and through classmates.

Moreover, Ohaeri Sr. said he has always been “mindful of influences and talking about, ‘Don’t do drugs and make good decisions,’” to his children. But he added that families rarely discuss the dangers of social media trends. “Maybe we need to,” he said.

GoFundMe campaign

A GoFundMe organizer created the fundraiser to help the teen’s family during this difficult time.

The 13-year-old was “a vibrant, kind, loving, beautiful young man, a son, a brother, a grandson, a nephew, a friend, a teammate, a bandmate, a leader, an athlete, who had a passion and incredible talent for football,” the GoFundMe description says.