FL teen commits suicide on webcam...

[akflightmedic]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081122/ap_on_.../webcam_suicide

MIAMI – A college student committed suicide by taking a drug overdose in front of a live webcam as some computer users egged him on, others tried to talk him out of it, and another messaged OMG in horror when it became clear it was no joke. Some watchers contacted the Web site to notify police, but by the time officers entered Abraham Biggs' home — a scene also captured on the Internet — it was too late.

Biggs, a 19-year-old Broward College student who suffered from what his family said was bipolar disorder, or manic depression, lay dead on his bed in his father's Pembroke Pines house Wednesday afternoon, the camera still running 12 hours after Biggs announced his intentions online around 3 a.m.

It was unclear how many people watched it unfold.

Biggs was not the first person to commit suicide with a webcam rolling. But the drawn-out drama — and the reaction of those watching — was seen as an extreme example of young people's penchant for sharing intimate details about themselves over the Internet.

Biggs' family was infuriated that no one acted sooner to save him, neither the viewers nor the Web site that hosted the live video, Justin.tv. The Web site shows a video image, with a space alongside where computer users can instantly post comments.

Only when police arrived did the Web feed stop, "so that's 12 hours of watching," said the victim's sister, Rosalind Bigg. "They got hits, they got viewers, nothing happened for hours."

She added: "It didn't have to be."

An autopsy concluded Biggs died from a combination of opiates and benzodiazepine, which his family said was prescribed for his bipolar disorder.

Biggs announced his plans to kill himself over a Web site for bodybuilders, authorities said. But some users told investigators they did not take him seriously because he had threatened suicide on the site before.

Some members of his virtual audience encouraged him to do it, others tried to talk him out of it, and some discussed whether he was taking a dose big enough to kill himself, said Wendy Crane, an investigator with the Broward County medical examiner's office.

A computer user who claimed to have watched said that after swallowing some pills, Biggs went to sleep and appeared to be breathing for a few hours while others cracked jokes.

Someone notified the moderator of the bodybuilding site, who traced Biggs' location and called police, Crane said.

As police entered the room, the audience's reaction was filled with Internet shorthand: "OMFG," one wrote, meaning "Oh, my God." Others, either not knowing what they were seeing, or not caring, wrote "lol," which means "laughing out loud," and "hahahah."

An online video purportedly from Biggs' webcam shows a gun-wielding officer entering a bedroom, where a man is lying on a bed, his face turned away from the camera. The officer begins to examine him, as the camera lens is covered. Authorities could not immediately verify the authenticity of the video, though it matched their description of what occurred.

Montana Miller, an assistant professor of popular culture at Bowling Green State University in Ohio, said Biggs' very public suicide was not shocking, given the way teenagers chronicle every facet of their lives on sites like Facebook and MySpace.

"If it's not recorded or documented then it doesn't even seem worthwhile," she said. "For today's generation it might seem, `What's the point of doing it if everyone isn't going to see it?'"

She likened Biggs' death to other public ways of committing suicide, like jumping off a bridge.

Crane said she knows of a case in which a Florida man shot himself in the head in front of an online audience, though she didn't know how much viewers saw. In Britain last year, a man hanged himself while chatting online.

In a statement, Justin.tv CEO Michael Seibel said: "We regret that this has occurred and want to respect the privacy of the broadcaster and his family during this time."

The Web site would not say how many people were watching the broadcast. The site as a whole had 672,000 unique visitors in October, according to Nielsen.

Miami lawyer William Hill said there is probably nothing that could be done legally to those who watched and did not act. As for whether the Web site could be held liable, Hill said there doesn't seem to be much of a case for negligence.

"There could conceivably be some liability if they knew this was happening and they had some ability to intervene and didn't take action," said Hill, who does business litigation and has represented a number of Internet-based clients. But "I think it would be a stretch."

Condolences poured into Biggs' MySpace page, where the mostly unsmiling teen is seen posing in a series of pictures with various young women. On the bodybuilding Web site, Biggs used the screen name CandyJunkie. His Justin.tv alias was "feels_like_ecstacy."

Rosalind Bigg described her brother as an outgoing person who struck up conversations with Starbucks baristas and enjoyed taking his young nieces to Chuck E. Cheese. He was health-conscious and exercised but was not a bodybuilder, she said.

"This is very, very sudden and unexpected for us," the sister said. "It boggles the mind. We don't understand."

___

Associated Press Writers Jessica Gresko and Lisa Orkin Emmanuel and the AP News Research Center in New York contributed to this report.

(This version CORRECTS sister's last name in next-to-last graf.)

[TDP]

what a fruit loop.

[Chief1C]

Now, this happens in the city chat room every now and then. People log in and say their friend just threatened to do..._____ or just took some pills.. How should they act or what should they do.. That, or someone comes in and directly or indirectly says they're planning to commit suicide.

Should their IP be obtained, searched for their provider; and call their local Police? Send someone to physically check on them? I know we banish them, because most of the time it's someone phishing for attention.. But I've heard a call with in scanner range. Someone threatened an OD via AIM, and the police and EMS were sent to the home, and the person turned out to be okay and in denial.

Should threats be taken seriously and reported to Authorities? I'll tell someone to call 9-1-1, or call a hotline, but I don't want their drama or death, on my shoulders.. So, I refrain from involving myself. But I do provide a real number or URL to a site that could help. However, maybe the point will get across if cops shop up at the door; that threatening to kill yourself is not an acceptable way to gain attention.

It's a mental illness, most of the time, so I think it should be treated like any other medical emergency. I've dealt with it personally, three times, not myself.. but immediate family.. and if I was able to see it, before it happened. I'd have made damn sure they were somewhere that they could get help, and not have access, in this case, to firearms or large quantities of medication. It's absolutely horrible, on so many levels, to have a family member take their own life. You. I never stop questioning if I had done something else, or if there was something I should have seen. It's not a joke. I may toss around the hotline number, and that may seem offensive, but you just never know and not knowing is just as bad as having it happen.

Damn em.. Have them committed!

[Dustdevil]

[cynical_as_hell]

Hurray for him. he actually went through with it instead of calling 911 crying about how he wants to but truly doesnt have enough balls to like most of our patients. Its just ashame that he felt that he needed an audience. Considering he did it for everyone to see, sounds like he just wanted his 15 minutes of fame. Maybe all the other suiciders can learn something from him.

[Ridryder 911]

Hurray for him. he actually went through with it instead of calling 911 crying about how he wants to but truly doesnt have enough balls to like most of our patients. Its just ashame that he felt that he needed an audience. Considering he did it for everyone to see, sounds like he just wanted his 15 minutes of fame. Maybe all the other suiciders can learn something from him.

You know its post like this that reminds me how infantile those in EMS are. Instead of attempting to understand the psyche of the person as a mentally ill patient, we of course go back to junior high humor and attributes. Even seen this in station houses.

The same old B.S. line of telling them on how to do it correctly. We as health care professionals ? should recognize the seriousness of mental illness and the side effects such as those with bi-polar, clinical depression, and suicidal ideologies is a serious matter.

R/r 911

[Michael]

Thank you, Ridryder.

[WolfmanHarris]

Cynical, I think your cynicism has gotten too much and you've lost your compassion. If you can't recognize just how ill someone has to be in order to take their own life and still feel for those who might not need an IV, or RSI or any of the other gear in the back, but plan old patient care than it might be time to find a different way to utilize your skills. I don't know you, so I'm not saying you should or shouldn't do anything. I am saying that you did not comport yourself well in that post and you should examine why you felt that way and if it's time to change something.

[Just Plain Ruff]

Hurray for him. he actually went through with it instead of calling 911 crying about how he wants to but truly doesnt have enough balls to like most of our patients. Its just ashame that he felt that he needed an audience. Considering he did it for everyone to see, sounds like he just wanted his 15 minutes of fame. Maybe all the other suiciders can learn something from him.

maybe if we ignore him he will go away. With comments like his I don't want to know him. His credibility is gone with me but then again, he's only posted 4 times so what credibility does he really have.

[MedNoMore]

OMG...Cynical...Are you for real???

I am appalled by your attitude. The medical field is a calling. A desire to help others. What are you here for? You obviously have no compassion for your fellow man. There are a lot of hurting people in this world, where one kind word could make all the difference between chosing life or death. You have no business being in the field with that attitude of yours. I hope that if a 911 call is made on my behalf, that you or no one else like you answers the call. If you are not in it to save lives....What are you in it for?