Child dies in Bethany after apparently attempting TikTok ‘Black Out’ challenge, police say

By Web Staff

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    BETHANY. Oklahoma (KOCO) — Bethany police are investigating the death of a 12-year-old child, who died after police said he apparently attempted the TikTok “Black Out” challenge.

According to police, officers responded just before midnight Monday to a report of an unresponsive juvenile at the Western Oaks Apartments at 7400 Northwest 22nd St.

Officers arrived and found a juvenile male in the breezeway of an apartment building. They reported seeing ligature marks around the victim’s neck. He was taken to the University of Oklahoma Children’s Hospital. At about 6:50 a.m. Tuesday, police said he died from his injuries.

According to Bethany police, detectives were called to the scene based on information received from family members. The preliminary investigation leads detectives to believe this incident was not a suicide attempt, but that of a TikTok Challenge or otherwise known as the “Black Out” Challenge, gone wrong, the police report said.

“The loss of a loved one is very traumatic to all and our condolences go out to the family. We would like to warn parents to stay involved with their children and take the time to look what they are doing on social media. Now more than ever due to the lockdowns, kids are bored and looking to occupy their time. Social media is a very influential part of a child’s life and should be heavily scrutinized by parents,” police officials said in the news release.

The investigation is ongoing.

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