Nnamdi Ohaeri Jr., 13, died in a deadly social media challenge, according to his Southern California family.
KTLA reported Friday that the little kid, known as Deuce to his family, was the oldest of four siblings and liked music and sports, especially football.
Deuce was renowned for his quick wit and sense of humor, and he came from a military family in Murrieta. He like spending time with his family.
His father, Nnamdi Ohaeri Sr, “He had a good sense of humor and a great wit about him.”
The family had a typical Sunday on February 2.
“We came home, they showered, we were watching the Grammys. He was excited that Kendrick Lamar was sweeping all the categories.”
But Deuce was discovered in his room the following morning, lifeless.
His dad dialed 911 and dashed to a neighbor for assistance while his mom started cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
They did everything they could, but the boy was still declared dead.
Initial reports indicated that Deuce had committed suicide; however, his parents expressed skepticism about the validity of that scenario.
Their account of him was that of a young boy who was full of hope for what the future held.
They found out that Deuce had heard of a social media challenge where kids try to pass out as they were looking for answers.
“I heard something about a young person trying to make themselves pass out, and I guess they came back from it.”
Since Deuce lacked social media profiles and his phone was subject to stringent parental controls, his family thinks he might have found out about the challenge via his classmates.
According to the article, comparable online fads like the “Blackout Challenge” have taken a lot of heat for promoting the practice of users holding their breath until they black out from lack of air.
Parents whose children tragically lost their lives as a result of the trend have sued TikTok.
As they try to piece together what happened to cause their son Deuce’s death, his parents have a lot of questions that have not been answered.
The father said, “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?
“I’ve always been mindful of influences and talked about, ‘Don’t do drugs and make good decisions.
“But we don’t talk about not following social media trends or playing social media games, and maybe we need to.”
At Deuce’s recent funeral and celebration of life, his family thanked the community for its unwavering support.