Trigger Warning: This article contains content that readers may find distressing.
Cimarron Thomas was 12 years old when she took her own life. Like most typical 12-year-old girls, she loved exploring, Katy Perry and watching Netflix. She also had Snapchat.
Cimarron’s unexpected death sent a wave of shock, sadness and a spiral of family tragedy into the Thomas household. Over three years later, the truth was finally revealed and an explanation was given as to what caused Cimarron to take her own life.
Daughter’s suicide leads to family’s double tragedy
Cimarron and her family, including Cimarron’s little sister, her mother, Stephanie, and her father, Ben, an ex-army veteran, lived in West Virginia. In 2018, seemingly out of nowhere, Cimarron found her father’s handgun and took her own life with it.
Her family were left completely shocked and broken, wondering what could have provoked their sweet girl to do this awful.
They wouldn’t find out the truth for three more years.
20 months after Cimarron’s death, Ben also took his own life. The guilt he felt from having the handgun that Cimarron accessed became too much.
A family friend shared with the Sun:
“When Cimarron died it was a total mystery why she would kill herself and Ben just couldn’t cope with it. He’d been a soldier in Afghanistan after the 9/11 terror attack in 2001 and her death really hit him hard.”
Stephanie and Cimarron’s little sister faced this double tragedy together, relying on family support to get through the double loss. One year after her husband’s death and 32 months after losing her daughter, Stephanie received a phone call that would piece together what exactly happened.
Snapchat catfish connection
Cimarron had Snapchat. On Snapchat, she unknowingly became friends with one of the UK’s most notable and dangerous catfishers – Alexander McCartney. The 26-year-old from Northern Ireland would pose as a teen girl to befriend youngsters, then use images they sent to blackmail them. This is exactly what he did to Cimarron.
Police explained how Alexander blackmailed the youngster into sending a topless picture on Snapchat – then demanded she lure her younger sister into a sex act or he would send the image to her dad.
As a family friend shared:
“Cimarron was such a sweet girl. She would have been really embarrassed by the threats to send a topless picture to her dad. The family lives in a really tiny place where everyone knows everyone and it’s quite an innocent life and rural upbringing so maybe Cimarron wasn’t as aware of the dangers of people like this man.”
Police deduced that Cimarron felt trapped and ashamed, which led her to the decision to kill herself. She even told Alexander that she would kill herself if he sent the images to her dad.
Alexander responded by launching a countdown.
70 victims due to catfishing
Cimarron wasn’t Alexander’s only victim. He was jailed for manslaughter and offences relating to blackmailing over 70 victims in the UK, Europe, America and New Zealand. He was caught when he was trying to catfish a young girl from Scotland, which is when his computer was seized and police discovered the connection to Cimarron.
He was given a life sentence with a minimum of 20 years by Justice O’Hara.
Mother ‘shuts down’ after double loss
Faced with the reason why Cimarron took her life, Stephanie finally has answers, but the horrific truth has left her broken.
“Stephanie and Cimarron’s little sister have been supported by the wider family as much as possible but her mum is a quiet person who has almost shut down after losing her and Ben. She finds it very, very hard to talk about.”
Stephanie would prefer to see Alexander extradited to America where his punishment would most likely be much harsher.
“The family are furious that McCartney wasn’t charged with murder because that’s what he’s done – he’s killed this little girl. He might have done it from thousands of miles away but the result is the same.
“He should have faced justice in America. It would have been better if he’d been extradited here where he wouldn’t be sitting in some cushy British jail.”
Snapchat is a staple among tweens and teens. As a mum of a 12-year-old girl who is constantly “updating her Snapchat streak” with her friends, it’s incredibly distressing and worrying to share stories like this. We do share these stories not to scare, but to raise awareness that dangers lurk behind the screens and that people like Alexander McCartney are out there.
Please be aware of your children’s social media use, talk to them about who they are communicating with, check up often and ensure they have the maximum safety settings on. Keep in mind that Snapchat has advanced a lot since 2018 when Cimarron died and there are several advanced settings to ensure your child is safe. But the best way to protect them is through open, honest and regular communication.
You can learn more about How to Use Snapchat Safely at Snapchat.
