FBI Warns Tragic Illinois Case Reminder for Parents to Stay Alert

No child or parent should ever have to endure something like this. There's a new warning from the FBI in Chicago about a tragic Illinois case which is a reminder of why it's so important to stay alert about your kids online activities.

The FBI in Chicago just shared this disturbing update today on their Facebook page about a nightmare scenario a family in Illinois just lived through.

According to the press release shared by the FBI in Chicago, Andrew Boltz, a 27-year-old Kenton, Ohio man, communicated with a then 16-year-old Chicago area girl on social media. He contacted her through Snapchat. The FBI says he "enticed the victim into sending him sexually explicit images of herself. Boltz instructed the girl on what type of sexually explicit conduct should be portrayed in the images". The girl testified about what happened to her which led to his conviction and sentencing to 30 years in prison. His actions were part of a warning about what can happen when your kids communicate with strangers online.

How can Illinois parents prevent awful crimes like this from happening?

The Department of Justice says that all parents should use parental controls for games and all online applications and devices. They also say that it's important to speak to your kids directly about what can happen if they allow communication from strangers. Make sure they know to alert you if/when any stranger contacts them online so you can see what's going on. That's the only way to prevent terrible outcomes like what just happened to this Illinois family who's lives are now changed forever.