A Southern California family is mourning the terrible loss of their 13-year-old son, Nnamdi Ohaeri Jr., also known as Deuce, whom they believe died after taking part in a deadly social media challenge.
According to a story on Friday by Los Angeles and Southern California news station KTLA, the young kid, known as “Deuce” to his loved ones, was the eldest of four siblings who enjoyed music and sports, particularly football.
Deuce, who came from a military family in Murrieta, loved spending time with his family and was known for his sense of humor and quick wit.
“He had a good sense of humour and a great wit about him,” his father, Nnamdi Ohaeri Sr., told KTLA.
“We came home, they showered, and we were watching the Grammys. He was excited that Kendrick Lamar was sweeping all the categories,” Ohaeri Sr. recalled.
However, the following morning, Deuce was discovered lifeless in his room. His mother quickly administered CPR, while his father dialed 911 and raced to a neighbor for assistance. Regardless of their attempts, the boy was declared dead.
At first, it appeared that Deuce had committed suicide, but his parents felt it made no sense. They characterized him as a child who was constantly optimistic about the future.
As they searched for explanations, they discovered that Deuce had learned of a social media challenge in which children attempt to pass out.
“I heard something about a young person trying to make themselves pass out, and I guess they came back from it,” Ohaeri Sr. said.
Deuce’s family believes he learned about the challenge via peers, given he did not have social media accounts and his phone had stringent parental controls.
It was gathered that social media trends, such as the “Blackout Challenge,” have been heavily criticized for pushing users to hold their breath until they pass out from a lack of oxygen. The viral trend has been linked to many child fatalities, sparking lawsuits against TikTok from mourning parents.
Deuce’s parents are now left with many unanswered questions as they try to figure out what caused their son’s death.
“I’m going through the Rolodex of guilt now, like, ‘Did we check in more? Should I have not been as firm four years ago?’” Ohaeri Sr. said.
The family is sharing their experience to warn other parents about similar disasters in the hopes of preventing them.
“I’ve always been mindful of influences and talked about, ‘Don’t do drugs and make good decisions,’” Ohaeri Sr. said. “But we don’t talk about not following social media trends or playing social media games, and maybe we need to.”
The family recently hosted a burial and celebration of life for Deuce and thanked the community for its tremendous support.
