The murder of Breck Bednar | Ep 222

Summary

Crime and Coffee Couple Podcast – Ep 222

The Murder of Breck Bednar

Release Date: December 7, 2025
Hosts: Allison and Mike

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Episode Overview

Allison and Mike delve into the harrowing case of Breck Bednar, a 14-year-old English boy groomed and ultimately murdered by an online predator. As always, they balance their signature warmth and relatable banter with deep respect for the victims, offering both an emotional and educational retelling. This episode not only lays out the details of the crime but also provides poignant commentary on online safety—crucial for families today.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Dangers of Online Grooming (10:21–13:23)

• Theme: How predators infiltrate young people’s lives through common platforms (gaming, chat apps).
• Groomers mirror interests to build trust: “If you like something, they like something... They want you to feel like, oh my gosh, someone finally gets me.” (Alison, 10:58)
• Warning signs: Isolating the victim, encouraging secrecy, undermining family relationships.
• Parents often hear, “Come on, guys, we know, we won’t tell anyone where we live,” but teens overestimate their ability to spot danger. (Mike, 10:03)

2. Breck’s Background: A Promising Young Life (13:23–16:06)

• Born in Surrey, England in 1999 to American parents.
• Known for his maturity, kindness, and love of technology: “He liked to understand how things worked… even as a tiny little boy, he anticipated other people’s needs.” (Alison, 13:29)

3. The Online Relationship with Lewis Danes (16:06–21:12)

• Breck met Lewis on a gaming server (TeamSpeak, similar to Discord).
• Lewis claimed to be a highly successful 17-year-old tech entrepreneur, living alone in NYC and working for the US government—a story both alluring and suspicious.
• Red flags abound: his vague answers to direct questions, reluctance to show his face, immense control as chat administrator.
• Parenting note: Lauren, Breck’s mother, actively joined chats to get to know her son’s online friends: “She sounds like she’s doing all the right things.” (Mike, 19:12)

4. Escalating Control and Behavioral Changes (21:12–24:02)

• Lewis encouraged Breck to skip family meals, undermined his ambitions, and began preaching anti-government rhetoric.
• Breck became withdrawn, moody, and uncharacteristically disrespectful—classic signs of grooming and emotional manipulation.

5. A Mother’s Intuition and Missed Warnings (24:02–29:40)

• Lauren contacted police, expressing well-founded fears of grooming. She provided Lewis’s name and handle but officers closed the case within an hour, never running even a cursory check.
  • Quote: “She gave the police all the information... assured her they’d carry out checks... The case was closed within an hour.” (Mike, 29:00)
• Lewis further manipulated Breck by sending him a secret phone and exclusive digital gifts to maintain contact after Lauren tried to cut him off.

6. The Fateful Meeting & Aftermath (32:49–42:46)

• In February 2014, Breck lied about visiting a nearby friend, but instead traveled 30 miles to meet Lewis—in reality a 19-year-old man.
• The following day, Lewis calmly called emergency services, admitting to killing Breck:
  • Quote:
    • Dispatcher: “Are you telling me you’ve killed somebody?”
    • Lewis: “Yes, I am.” (33:11)
• Lewis fabricated a self-defense scenario, but evidence disproved his claims—Breck had been restrained, sexually assaulted, and murdered in a predetermined act.

7. Devastation for the Bednar Family and Ripple Effects (42:46–51:05)

• The family learned of Breck's death after images of the crime were circulated among the gaming community and—shockingly—through local children’s text messages.
• Lauren’s trauma: “She remembers she couldn’t stop screaming, to the point she had to be sedated.” (Mike, 34:09)
• Lewis’s history: A known manipulator with prior grooming and assault allegations, unmonitored due to failures in the system.

8. Pursuing Justice and Prevention (43:34–47:25)

• Lewis pled guilty, avoiding a trial, and received life with a minimum 25-year term—a sentence both hosts see as deeply inadequate.
  • “He just should never have the opportunity to walk free.” (Alison, 44:06)
• Allison and Mike reflect on societal and parental responsibility, echoing Lauren’s feelings of frustration and futility.
  • “She did all the right things…” (Alison, 46:05)

9. Legacy—The Breck Foundation (46:39–51:05)

• Lauren founded The Breck Foundation, focusing on empowering young people, families, and authorities to recognize grooming and online exploitation.
• The organization teaches not just the basics (don’t give out personal info), but how to identify manipulation, control, and unhealthy dynamics.
  • “Although Lauren’s triplets aren’t into online gaming… one of her daughters experienced issues through social media—a wannabe predator, a copycat of Breck's killer.” (Mike, 51:04)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On grooming’s insidiousness:
  • “It’s almost like being put under a spell, really.” (Mike, 47:25)
• On parental self-doubt:
  • “[Lauren] took all the steps she should have taken… Never in their wildest dreams did they expect that this is how their son’s life would have ended.” (Mike, 54:00)
• On systemic failure:
  • “They closed the case without even checking… They didn’t even look this kid up.” (Mike, 29:40)
• On the legacy of trauma:
  • “Her 12-year-old triplets not only lost their brother, but they also lost a normally functioning mother…” (Mike, 42:00)
• On justice:
  • “He deserves to be burned or thrown into an ocean and drowned… just... he should have just offed himself.” (Alison, 43:41)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Online grooming dynamics explained: 10:21–13:23
• Breck’s early life and character: 13:23–16:06
• Parent's concern & attempts at intervention: 19:12–29:40
• The murder & emergency call: 32:49–35:09
• Inspection of evidence & debunking Lewis’s story: 37:31–42:46
• Sentence, justice, and system failures: 43:34–47:25
• Breck Foundation & prevention: 46:39–51:05
• Closing reflections on grief, responsibility, and hope: 54:00–55:44

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Tone & Final Reflections

The hosts maintain their relatable, conversational style, mixing heartfelt empathy with dark humor to process the story’s weight:

• “It’s so incredibly sad… all you would do as a parent is beat yourself up, you know, and that’s not going to do anything.” (Alison, 54:35)

Ultimately, they call on listeners to spread awareness—to “say something to a trusted adult”—and honor Breck’s memory by advocating for vigilance and open dialogue.

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Resources

For tips and resources on online safety, contact The Breck Foundation or report concerns via known tip lines (see episode notes for updated contacts).

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This summary covers all the serious themes discussed and highlights the hosts’ dedication to keeping true crime discussions honest, responsible, and respectful, especially in cases involving young victims and internet safety.

Transcript

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[Mike]

GoFundMe.

Hello, everyone. Welcome back to another episode with the Crime and Coffee Couple. My name's.

[Alison]

Alison. And my name's.

[Mike]

Mike. Hello.

[Alison]

Mike. Hey, Al. Exander. Elle. Alison. I guess Alexander isn't your name Alexander Hamilton? That was a good show. Good show. I'm glad it got like all the people. We got excited about it and I watched it. It's not something I would normally watch. Hamilton, that musical, you're not a musical guy. I'm not going to say I'm not a musical guy, but I wouldn't search one out on my.

[Mike]

Own. I will tell you who is not a musical guy is our son. He is, like, vehemently against.

[Alison]

Musicals. You are so right. You just mentioned it. He's like, I don't like musicals. I don't like it. It's like, well, maybe open your mind a little bit, buddy. Maybe you might like one someday. I mean, I admittedly, I was like that at one point and there was one that really surprised me. And do you remember which one.

[Mike]

That would be Sweeney.

[Alison]

Todd.

[Mike]

Yes. Oh, I cann guess.

[Alison]

That. Well, it's because we didn't expect it to be a musical. I probably would have never given it a chance had I not known. But oh, my gosh, what an amazing movie. I love it through and through. It like, surprised me at every twist and turn. And again, you're thinking, Mike, you don't like true crime and gore and stuff, but that is a super gory movie. And I love the darkness of it, how he's like joking and laughing and kind of just singing about murdering Johnny Depp. Oh, it's.

[Mike]

Amazing. It's the Demon Barber of Fleet.

[Alison]

Streets. Yeah. Yeah. So check it out. This Christmas season, I think that's a great Christmas.

[Mike]

Movie. Very. Just gather the. Kill the kids around and just watch. Watch people's necks being sliced open.

[Alison]

And then dumped into a.

[Mike]

Hole. Just quickly into the hole. Into the incinerator. I think it.

[Alison]

Was. Oh, yeah.

[Mike]

Nice. Very, very family friendly. So what else is going on with.

[Alison]

You? Me? Well, I had a beautiful, lovely dinner last night. I went out to Fleming's. It's called. Is that like a.

[Mike]

Chain? It is a chain. I'm not sure if it's across the country in the United States. I don't think it's elsewhere. But it's a steak.

[Alison]

Place. Yeah, steak and seafood. Mostly steak. But yeah, it was for work. Otherwise I would never be eating there. And got to take out a client and stuff and had one of those seafood towers. That's when you know you're eating well. And oh, man, I had some lobster and shrimp. I and Allison's like, I wish I could have a seafood tower someday. And I said, well, married to me, you'll probably never be able to. And I'm.

[Mike]

Sorry. I said, I will probably die having never had a seafood tower. Because a lot of the restaurants that we go to, that has A seafood tower. I look at it, it's like $250. I'm like, well, there goes.

[Alison]

That. Yeah. And this one wasn't as bad as that, but still not cheap. It was like 180, I think. And it was awesome. I mean I love seafood and crustaceans and st. Such shellfish in general, but it was, it was awesome. I had a good.

[Mike]

Meal. I'm not a lover of seafood, but I would be open to.

[Alison]

Trying. Well, that's, that's the weird thing. You were like, I really want to try it. I'm like, well, you don't like, you know.

[Mike]

Oysters? Yeah, no, no, thank you. I'm not into.

[Alison]

Oysters. And shrimp you're okay.

[Mike]

With. I always wonder if people actually like oysters because by the time you put all your accoutrements on it, do you really taste it.

[Alison]

Anymore? No, not at all. I think I call them like fancy chicken wings. They're kind of like for the upper echelon chicken wings. It's like, because you get like 12 of them, you can. It's kind of, it's like sushi. Like I don't think sushi is really that.

[Mike]

Good. I love.

[Alison]

Sushi. I'm not going to choose sushi over a burger. Like a cheeseburger with like fries. Like what tastes better, a cheeseburger and fries or.

[Mike]

Sushi? I mean, it depends on my mood. There are certain times where I'm like, oh, I could go for a good burger. And then there's other times where I'm like, oh, I would kill some sushi right.

[Alison]

Now. But you like genuinely love the taste of.

[Mike]

Sushi? Genuinely.

[Alison]

Yes. I mean, I don't dislike it. I love soy sauce. I use it as an agent to get the soy sauce into my mouth. But besides that, it's like it all tastes very similar, I think, like slimy and you.

[Mike]

Know. No, not. Definitely not slimy. I should hope not. I don't know what sushi places you're going to, but my sushi has never tasted.

[Alison]

Slimy. Cheapest of the.

[Mike]

Cheap. One of my favorites, and it's the. One of the cheaper ones is a Mexican roll. That is always my favorite roll. It's all cooked, nothing's raw in there. It's like shrimp tempura and it's, it's just divine. Yeah.

[Alison]

Perfection. You want to tell our listeners what else is going on this week with our little Sunny, our 17 year.

[Mike]

Old son, our 17 year old who will be watching this because he edits our YouTube videos. We got an email from his chemistry teacher yesterday. And Mike started laughing at the kitchen table. I'm like, what? And he's like, oh, we got an email from Cam's teacher. I was like, oh.

[Alison]

No. What? And I'm going to read a little bit of it. So it's like a two paragraphs. The first paragraph was the entire class. Like, I guess they're just. She's like, this is the worst period of my entire.

[Mike]

Day. Hands down, without comparison. This is the worst class of my day. It's like, okay, I don't know what you want us to do about.

[Alison]

That. Right, right. So then that was a copy and past to everybody. But then everybody got their own individual note about their student and this was ours. So here we go. This week, I'm pretty sure Cameron took a shot of vinegar that I had in the room. This is chemistry, by the way. So there's things all over the place. I'm sure it said vinegar, but like, what if she just put like some, you know, hydrochloric acid in the vinegar.

[Mike]

Bottle? Right? I mean, that would be very irresponsible of her to do. But you don't consume things orally in a chemistry.

[Alison]

Classroom. Yeah, and she said, like what? I didn't see him do it, but his friend sort of ratted him out. I don't know why he is even touching the bottle, much less consuming it. It is irresponsible and immature to act this way in a chemistry classroom. And I wholeheartedly.

[Mike]

Agree. A wholeheartedly agree. And sometimes I say, how in the hell did I give birth to this human.

[Alison]

Being? And this is the same kid. I don't know if we told you guys or not, but he had raw kidney beans in another.

[Mike]

Class. I think he said it was the same.

[Alison]

Class. Oh my gosh. So this. Cam, come on, buddy. You got to do.

[Mike]

Better. Please. Sometimes I do say. I'm like, I would think it had to have been a switched at birth situation, but his sister looks exactly like.

[Alison]

Him. And I've.

[Mike]

Been. He looks a lot like you. Like his eyes and.

[Alison]

Stuff. Yeah, I've been known to do dumb crap. You know boys, we're. We're dumb. So it's just. Just things that you don't think and just do and then you make people laugh. I get it, I get it. But it's a little safer and like don't make us look like bad parents. And that's. That's what it looks.

[Mike]

Like. And that's what he is all about is just getting a laugh out of people. And we were reflecting about something he did when he was in kindergarten, which I think we've mentioned once before. But he. We got an email at Veterans Day and basically thanking us for our service in the military, which was super nice. And I said, well, I work full time as a clinical dietitian and Mike is in sales. We've never worked a day in our lives in the military, so that's not.

[Alison]

Us. Yeah. And she went on to explain that he, you know, she was like, oh, anybody have military parents in this class? And our son raised his hand for no reason.

[Mike]

Whatsoever. Yes. So that's what we're dealing.

[Alison]

With. That's our boy. We still love him. We still love you.

[Mike]

Buddy. Oh, my gosh. Piece of work. Anywho, are you ready to jump into this cup of.

[Alison]

Coffee? I.

[Mike]

Am. It's hot, it's.

[Alison]

Dark. Ready to.

[Mike]

Go. And this is the murder of Breck Bednar. So the Internet can be a very powerful tool that connects us to friends, communities, and opportunities that we otherwise wouldn't normally have. But it can also be a dangerous place where those looking to prey on the young and vulnerable can be lurking. And the scary reality is that predators are not rare. They're anywhere where teens are chatting. And since groomers can be highly skilled, a teen is likely unable to realize that they're in danger. So teens also oftentimes overestimate their ability to identify danger. I know our children do, because every time we bring it up to them, they're like, oh, come on, guys, we know we won't tell anyone where we live. So they're overestimating that they can sense this danger. This is something that just makes them that much more vulnerable. So since young people are spending so much more time online than the typical adults, concerns regarding online safety have only increased as the years have gone on. So on a quiet February evening in 2014, 14 year old Breck Badnar told his family that he was going to a friend's house nearby. So when he left the safety of his home, he was actually meeting someone that he had only ever known online for just a little over a year. So Brock was. Or excuse me, Breck was an incredibly bright, remarkable teen. And he loved gaming. Like most teenagers do, he loved coding and connecting with friends online. And when he went out to meet this online friend in person, he wasn't worried at all, because in his mind, this was someone that he trusted as a friend. So since online grooming normally starts with the illusion of a friendship in the beginning stages, it rarely resembles a dangerous situation. Predators Often approach their victims on platforms where children feel comfortable. Their gaming servers, chat apps, social media, or Internet based communities. Since the predator often mirrors their victim's interest, A sense of trust is gradually established and that person starts to feel understood. And that is a groomer's goal. If you like something, they like something. If you feel something, they understand it because they want you to feel like, oh, my gosh, someone finally gets me. Because we all know that the teenage years can be a very tumultuous, confusing time. It's nice to feel understood. So over time, a groomer begins to gradually isolate their victim, Slowly convincing them that their friends and family don't understand them like they do. So by the time red flags start to pop up, a teen is likely already emotionally tied to their groomer. They're vested and they are fully in. So because predators rarely push their boundaries right away, over time, many victims naturally begin to voluntarily share personal information that they probably would have never shared in the beginning. Like we always tell our kids, you never tell someone online where you live, that sort of.

[Alison]

Thing. Never send any nude pictures of any sort because they can be used as blackmail. And these people will be like, hey, I'm gonna share this picture with your parents if you don't do this and this and this.

[Mike]

Right? It gets used again some and manipulates them. So the thing is, is that we're talking about a long burn here. And if you're talking to somebody online on a daily basis for a year, they might feel like almost a best friend. So you think, well, at this point in time, I can tell them where I live because I trust them. They're my friend. So when the trust is fully established, the victim will feel comfortable enough to start sharing things. Like I said, their address, they might agree to meet in person. So little did Breck know, But for over the course of a year, someone had been weaving a web around him that left him manipulated, isolated, and controlled. The way that he started to see the world, the trust that was built was about to be used against him in the most horrific way possible. So Breck Bednar was born on March 17, 1999, in Surrey, England, to American parents Barry Bednar and Lauren Lefave. In 1996, three years before Breck was born, the couple moved from the United States to England for Barry's line of work as an oil trader. So When Breck was 2 years old, his mom gave birth to triplets. Two girls and one boy. Carly, Chloe and Sebastian. So from the beginning, it was very clear that Breck was Super mature. He was responsible. He was caring. Even as a tiny little boy, he anticipated other people's needs, which is so remarkable to me. His mom would say that even as young as two years old, he would help her gather supplies to help her with her infant sibling or his infant infant siblings. So obviously, I can't imagine they must have been up to their eyeballs because it was hard for us to take care of one infant, let alone three at the same.

[Alison]

Time. Yeah, it sounds like a sweet.

[Mike]

Boy. And he was responsible and mature enough at 2 to realize his mom needed some help. And that is unbelievable to me. So. So he just was someone, too, that loved to fix things. And not just fix things, but he liked to understand how things worked. So he would oftentimes take things apart and then put them back together. So he knew all the intricacies of things. And Lauren recalls just how really easy it was to raise Breck because he was just always so much fun. He was laid back, he was responsible, he was kind. He was everything any parent would want. She didn't have to harp on him, because he just did what needed to be done. So in 2006, sadly, Barry and Lauren divorced. But they were sure to put their children's need for needs first. So as they started to separate, they obviously, the kids were transitioning now between their mom and dad's homes. They just wanted them to feel safe and secure during this time. So when Breck started his new school after the divorce, he was reconnected with previous friends from where he attended primary school. So here he was invited into a gaming group, and the boys would often hang out together at school, and then they would all rush home to put their headsets on and sit down and play a game together online. And this was a situation that Lauren was extremely comfortable with, because not only did she know the boys that Breck was playing with online, she also knew their parents, and she trusted them. So his younger siblings could often be found gathered behind him because they truly idolized their big brother. So Breck had a love of technology and computers and like I said, with other things, computers in general. He would dismantle them. He would want to know how were they built. And he was extremely resourceful. So he would save his money that he got for his birthday or for Christmas, and then he would sell and exchange parts so that he could develop the exact setup that he liked. So as he got older, his gaming setup transitioned from the common area of the home into his bedroom, where he had three monitors in place. He would play games Like Call of Duty and Battlefield. And while he was doing this, he would have his headset on with his microphone and he would be chatting with his friends. Very typical. If you have a teenager, I'm sure this is something you see all.

[Alison]

The time, especially teenage boys and screaming and yelling and all sorts of.

[Mike]

Crap. So since he kept his door open, Lauren was still able to see and hear what her son was up to. And since the situation was very typical for a teen, Lauren never one time questioned her son's safety. And at that point. So it wasn't until the day she clearly remembers when peppered amongst the familiar sound of the voices that she came to know on a daily basis. These were kids that her son went to school with. Suddenly she started noticing a deeper sounding voice that she didn't recognize. So the voice sounded a lot more mature than someone that was 13 or 14 years old. So she was immediately concerned. And when she talked to Breck about this, he indicated that it was a person who actually ran the server that they all used. And this was called Team Speak. So this was where his friends played their games very similar to Discord. So not only could they message one another while they were playing together, they could also talk to each other using their microphones and headsets. So Breck told his mom that this was his new friend, Lewis. And he was a 17 year old who was great with technology. And despite the fact that he was literally only 17, he had his own business and he had his own apartment in New York City. So he also worked for the US Government in a contract that allowed him to work his own.

[Alison]

Hours. I mean, it's possible, you know, there's some 17 year old whiz kids that are great hackers and who knows? And it's like, well, that'd be really cool if you got connected to somebody like that. But at the same time, definitely red flags.

[Mike]

Right? And you think about, there are teenagers who make these apps, develop these apps, and then they sell them for millions of dollars. This happens. But is it common? Probably not. So as Lauren learned that her son's new friend was Lewis Danes, who went by the screen name Eagle one six, he portrayed himself as someone that was living this incredible life for a 17 year old or even an adult. So at the same time, though he was able to have a connection with Breck and his friends, he had a lot in common with them. So since Lewis was the administrator of the chat that they were utilizing, he had the ability to mute and expel members at his own description or discretion. Excuse Me. So basically he did have a sense of control over these 14 year old boys. So with her son being only 14, Lauren felt uncomfortable about Breck playing with someone that was several years older. And you might think, well, it's only three years, but the difference between a 14 and a 17 year old can be pretty.

[Alison]

Extensive. Yeah. And at that age, our son was kind of afraid to talk online because he didn't want his like, you know, higher voice to anybody to make fun of his voice at the time. And you know, it was a little bit before it dropped, but it was like just talk, man.

[Mike]

Talk. Right. So when she would voice her concerns to her son, though, Breck was very quick to defend Lewis. So when she questioned how does he manage to play online for hours and hours at a time if he's truly running this successful company? Brock explained that he made his own schedule so he could work whenever he wanted to. He said that Lewis wasn't ever able to show his face online because of the line of work that he was in. Of course he's saying he's working for the US.

[Ad Host 1]

Government.

[Mike]

Sure. So inevitably though, she noticed that there was an all. There was always an answer to whatever question she was asking about Lewis. So Lauren herself even chatted with Lewis online because she liked to know her son's friends. And that's something that we like to do.

[Alison]

Too. Yeah, that's amazing. She sounds like she's doing all.

[Mike]

The right things, super responsible. So she wanted to know who he was as a person. But when she would ask him specific questions about his life in New York, she couldn't help but notice that his answers were very much vague. So each evening, Lauren liked to make dinner. And that's how we are. We like to prepare dinner so that we can all sit down around the kitchen table together. And if you're not a parent of teenagers, sometimes it almost feels like you're living with.

[Alison]

Strangers.

[Mike]

Right. Because they go off and they do their own.

[Alison]

Things. Yeah, it's almost like there's zombies, like working through the night and me like, you know, second shifters and whatever and be like, hey, hey, hey, you want some chicken? Okay, here you go. And then. All right, see you.

[Mike]

Later. So dinner is that time that we can all sit at the table and talk to one another. And that's how Lauren viewed it. They would chat about what was going on in their lives. But she did notice that after Breck befriended Lewis, she noticed that he was often not coming down to dinner without argue. And she noticed that it was Lewis that was prompting These questions. He would question Breck, well, why would you be forced to eat if you're not even hungry? He even encouraged Brock to just ignore his mom's calls down to.

[Alison]

Dinner. What a piece of garbage. I mean, already, obviously, we know he's a piece of garbage, because what's probably going to happen? But at the same time, it's like, man, he's. He's really turning him a bad way.

[Mike]

Right? Super manipulative and controlling. So she started to have the feeling that she was in this constant battle with someone that she didn't even know. So in the summer of 2013, Lauren began to notice changes in her son's personality. He started to question and challenge her on things that he would previously do without hesitation. She obviously knows, though, that her son is a teenager. So she wasn't sure. Is this normal teenage behavior or is it something.

[Alison]

Different? And we're going through similar things with, you know, our kids from time to time, and it's like, is it exact same question? Is this just hormones and teenage stuff, or is there something worse? You know, we hope for the best.

[Mike]

Right? Because oftentimes it is very normal for a teenager to start to establish their boundaries and their opinions and things, things like that. But there is a fine line. You also have to respect your parents, right? So his dreams of becoming a pilot were starting to waver, because that was something that he really had his eyes set on. And he was actually in the Air Training Corps, where he was a member of the 135th Squadron. Now all of a sudden, he's questioning, maybe he should drop out of that. That was very alarming for her because Breck had really had this passion for ultimately becoming a pilot when he grew up. So Lewis was questioning Breck on why he would want to wear a uniform or follow their rules. He told Breck that there was no need for him to even finish school because he could get him a Microsoft apprenticeship when he turned.

[Alison]

16. Yeah, Louis, aren't you the guy working for the government and following their rules? You, man, that.

[Mike]

Sucks. So Breck's moods were suddenly low, and he began to distance himself from his family and spend more time alone in his room. So during this time, Lauren would often pop into her son's room to check to see what is he doing, who is he talking to? And what used to be funny messages and memes that would pop up on the screen when she would come in were now images of the wicked witch or Hitler, as if Lauren was the bad guy who was controlling her son rather than Just being a concerned parents because obviously when a kid has their headset and microphone on, they can hear what's going on in the room. So oftentimes our son will like mute it because otherwise we'll be like, Cameron, you better not stay up too.

[Alison]

Late. And I'll try to purposely get some words in there. Be like, do your friends know that you don't have any clothes on right now? Shut.

[Mike]

Up. Why are you sitting at your computer naked right now.

[Alison]

Cameron? It's.

[Mike]

Weird. So on December 17, 2013, Lauren decided to contact the Surrey Police Department because she wanted to discuss her concerns that she believed that her son was being groomed by someone online who was at this point saying that he was 18 years.

[Alison]

Old. Man, she nailed.

[Mike]

It. She did so on multiple occasions. She had overheard Lewis preaching his anti government beliefs to her son. So she feared that he was either grooming her son potentially for sexual purposes, maybe to even carry out terrorist.

[Alison]

Attacks. Oh my God. Yeah. Having the worst case scenario in your head. And she was right.

[Mike]

Gosh. So you know, you lay in bed at night as a parent in these scary thoughts pop into your head like, what is this kid's intentions? What does he want with my son? Because she was convinced it wasn't just a friendship. He wanted something. So during this 12 minute phone call, Lauren also voiced that her son was turning against his family and she worried that the person online wasn't actually who he said he was. And she gave the police all the information that they needed. She gave his name as well as his username and they assured her that the police would carry out their checks and they would open an investigation if warranted. So when Lauren hung up the phone, she wanted Breck to know just how serious she was about the situation. So at this point in time, she took away all of his devices. However, as she walked out of his room, she didn't realize that she'd missed a small MP3 player. And this was how Breck was able to record a serious conversation with that Lauren and Barry had with him about the whole situation and about all of their concerns. And she later learned that Lewis had instructed her son to do this so that he was able to hear word for word what was being.

[Alison]

Said. Oh, so he can know whether they're on.

[Mike]

Him.

[Alison]

Yeah. My.

[Mike]

God. So during their discussion, Lauren and Barry told Breck that they wanted to meet Lewis in person. And they suggested that maybe let's a look, take meet up for coffee or.

[Alison]

Something. Yeah, if he's totally cool, then yeah, go ahead, be friends. But if there's any other questions then you are done with.

[Mike]

Him. And it sounds like they were good parents. They wanted to support their kid because they could see that he saw something special in Lewis. But they wanted to know who this person was. They wanted to look him in the eyes, see what he looked like, what he seemed like, what kind of vibe, that sort of.

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By GoFundMe.

So Breck, though, told them that this was something that Lewis wasn't comfortable with because he felt that parents were too judgmental. Why are they too judgmental? Maybe because you're a.

[Alison]

Freaking creep.

[Mike]

Yeah. Pedophile. So they offered to have Lewis's dad and Barry meet up, you know, if that would make him more comfortable. But once again, this was declined. So since he wasn't willing to compromise on this situation, let them meet this guy in person, they forbade their son from having a further relationship moving forward with Lewis. So what Lauren and Barry had not realized at that point in time was that after they made this decision, Lewis sent their son a secret phone that cost him £600. And he did this so that they could continue to secretly communicate. So they're not sure when this phone arrived or where it was even delivered. But he would also send free software, games and online upgrades to the boys, probably as a way to manipulate and trust. Sure. So since the police department didn't recognize the signs of grooming, the case was closed within an hour of Lauren's phone call when she called to.

[Alison]

Express her concerns while looking from the police side. You have to have some reason to be able to have the search warrant, at least in the United States. And they don't have anything. It's just like somebody stalking. It's like you. We can't do do anything, unfortunately, until.

[Mike]

Something happens. But I will tell you that they closed the case without even checking anything. They didn't even look this kid up sucks. So nothing was done. So according to Lauren, prior to Breck meeting Lewis, he had always been this open and honest person, but all of a Sudden, he was acting in this super secretive way because she feels he was truly being brainwashed. So During Christmas of 2013, the Bednar family had a wonderful time together. And the reason that Lauren felt that this was the case was because she'd taken her son's technology away. So he was no longer being manipulated and distracted. So at this point in time, he was present, he was interacting with his mom and his siblings, and things really started to feel normal again. So when he got his technology back and began gaming again with his usual group of friends, all seemed well. He was doing what was expected of him in terms of his homework and his chores. He was interacting with the family. He was coming back down to dinner without arguing. Things felt good again. So Lauren felt such a sense of relief believing that Lewis was no longer in their son's life. So now moving forward To February of 2014, Breck traveled to Spain for an exchange trip. And as Lauren took photos of her son that day, she just felt such a sense of pride in her heart at just the person that he was becoming. And you think to yourself, man, this kid could really make a difference in this world. And she was so excited to see what kind of person her son would grow to be. And never in her wildest dreams did she imagine that as he walked away, it would be the last time she would ever see her beloved Brock. So now when Breck came home from this trip to Spain, Lauren was actually away. So it was Barry who picked him up from the airport. And his family could see just how happy he was. He seemed a lot more confident. His spirits were high. He even told them that he'd met a girl on his trip. So on Sunday, February 16, 2014, this is a few days after Brett came home. He was actually on a half term break from school, so he didn't have school the next day. So he asked his dad if he could visit a friend from school. And he said that his friend's name was Tom. They were basically going to hang out and build a new server together. So what Barry didn't know at the time was that Breck was actually going to meet Lewis for the very first time in person. And then later that evening, he texted his dad to ask could he spend the night at his friend's house. And Barry agreed. Everything seemed fine. So the next day was Monday, February 17th, and a triple nine emergency call came through at 1106am the caller told the dispatcher that he needed the police as well as a forensics team because he and his friend had gotten into an altercation. And he was the only one who came out alive. He admitted that he killed his friend and he told the dispatcher that his name was Lewis Danes. Essex Police Emergency.

[Ad Host 2]

Hi.

[Alison]

There.

[Mike]

Okay. Hello. I need police and a forensic team to my address, please. What do you mean? What's happened? My friend and I got into an altercation and I am the only one who came out alive. Are you telling me you've killed somebody? Yes, I am. Right. And who am I.

[Alison]

Speaking.

[Mike]

To? My. My name is.

[Alison]

Louis Danes. I can't believe we're hearing his voice. And I can't believe he asked specifically for a.

[Mike]

Forensics team. I know that's such a strange thing.

[Alison]

To say. It was.

[Mike]

Like calculated. Not only that, he sounded very eerily calm in that call. So Lauren recalls, for whatever reason, waking up with a sense of impending doom on that Monday morning. And it was a day that just so happened to be her birthday. And she later received a phone call from Barry, who explained that Brock had spent the night and at a friend's house and he wasn't able to get a hold of him. So she immediately felt the sense of panic. And then when Barry called her back a second time, he had the unimaginable task of telling her that their son was dead. At the hands of.

[Alison]

Louis Danes. And that sucks so bad for so many reasons. You know, we're picturing our own son. Like I would. I would die hearing that, you know, or our daughter. Either one. And they both knew about this.

[Mike]

Guy, right? It was their worst nightmare. Like even. Even more than they could have ever imagined. So in that moment, Lauren felt that a large part of herself died. And she remembers that she couldn't stop screaming to the point that she actually had to be sedated. She had always known that Lewis was a bad guy. She knew that in her heart. But never ever had she imagined that he was a killer. She didn't know what it was he wanted. Never did she think that he would have killed.

[Alison]

Her son. Yeah. And I mean, he sounds like similar age and everything, you know, for like 17. Like it sounds like that's exactly who he was. His name was Louis Danes. Maybe you're gonna tell us.

[Mike]

Otherwise, but. No, that's actually.

[Alison]

His name. Okay, so like this kid was who he said he was, basically. And like I was picturing some 40 year.

[Mike]

Old pedophile. No, not at all. So Lewis went on to tell the dispatcher that Breck had come over to spend the night the day before. He and he had been feeling very down and suicidal. And Barry would tell you that's an absolute lie. When Breck left that Sunday, that was not the case at all. So when Lewis woke up on Monday morning, he described his friend as a mess. And he said that although he tried to calm him down, he was unable to do so. He calmly explained, explained that Breck did not want to go home. And he grabbed a folded penknife. He opened it and Louis said that he lost control. They started to struggle over the knife. And in self defense, Lewis tried to stop Breck from stabbing him. So when he got the knife from him, he eventually slashed his friend's throat in self defense, he dropped the knife in the hallway and then he went to take a shower. Yeah, because.

[Alison]

That'S.

[Mike]

Normal. Right. And it wasn't until after he got out of the shower that he called Triple 9. And investigators believe that he waited this time so that he could concoct a story for what he had done and what happened in that apartment. So as officers arrived, they placed Lewis under arrest. And Breck's sister Chloe recalls coming home to find two officers at their house and they were asking her if her brother was home. And it wasn't long before Barry arrived and the kids began to hear their dad screaming in grief. And as investigators were breaking the this horrible, horrible news to Barry, the 12 year old triplets learned of their brother's murder from People Online. So investigators learned that after Lewis murdered Brock, he took photos of the boy's body and he sent them to other members of the gaming group who went on to spread the message around. So according to Lauren, her 12 year old triplets first learned that their brother was dead when they received a text message from other children at their school who had siblings who had gotten word that these horrible images existed. So when Clifton Powell, who's a digital forensic analyst, arrived at Lewis's flat in Essex, he saw that it was tidy and he could see his laptop in the family room on the couch. So when he went into Lewis's bedroom to take the computer, Breck's body was still lying on the floor covered in blood, as was the bed and the laptop. There were three cell phones and a couple of hard drives in the bathroom sink that were soaking in water. Highly, highly suspicious. So evidence that was found at Lewis's flat was not at all consistent with what he had told the dispatcher. Investigators found duct tape in a garbage can in the bedroom as well as in a garbage can that was outside. Evidence suggested that there had been some kind of sexual activity between Breck and Lewis at the at some point in time. DNA on the tape match the hairs on Breck's legs. And they found a tube of lubricant that had blood on it as well as bloodied clothing. The evidence painted a picture of Breck being restrained and assaulted rather than being uncontrollable with emotion, as Lewis claimed that he was. So the last activity on Breck's laptop was at 9:15am on Monday morning, less than two hours before Lewis called Triple 9. So evidence suggested that Breck had been lured to Lewis's flat and the crime had truly been premeditated. He was promised a good time with gaming and pizza, two things that Breck.

[Alison]

Absolutely loved.

[Mike]

Who doesn't? So when they found a bag of Breck's belongings, investigators saw that all of Brecht's devices had been destroyed except for one that was still intact inside of his bag. Clearly, Lewis overlooked this device because had he not, investigators wouldn't have been able to get evidence that that was really useful in this case. So investigators saw that one of the hard drives that had been submerged in water in the bathroom sink, it had actually been opened and slashed at with a knife. So it was very clear that this kid was doing damage control and getting rid of evidence because this obviously stopped this hard drive from working. So they were able to gain access into Breck's tablet, where they saw much of the communication between Breck and Lewis over the course of more than a year. So review of Breck's devices proved that during the relationship that he had with Lewis, there was absolutely zero discussion of sex. Breck simply saw their relationship as nothing but a friendship over a shared love of technology and computers. So In January of 2014, this is six weeks before Breck was murdered, communication on Breck's devices discussed his upcoming trip to Spain. And based on their conversations, it was very obvious that Lewis was very concerned because he was afraid he was losing control. He knew that Breck would be traveling in another country with a group of friends, and he was often messaging Breck, asking what he was doing, why wasn't he contacting him? He was clearly fearful of losing control. So Lewis started messaging Brock about this opportunity that could potentially pay him.

[Alison]

£85.

[Mike]

Million. Right. So he alluded that he was either sick or dying and it would be Breck that would take over his company. He told him, you are in a man's world now, so you need to step up. So since Brock would be taking over this business, Lewis told them that they had to meet, they had to speak in person, because they would be discussing sensitive details about this whole arrangement and that a lot of this stuff was very, very, you know, intricate. So it was very important that they go ahead and meet in person. That's how they were able to, he was able to establish this whole thing. Obviously, breck is a 14 year old boy. He simply saw this as this amazing once in a lifetime opportunity. And he wouldn't have recognized that what was happening was actually coercive control. So Lewis instructed Brock to tell his dad that he would be meeting a friend who was also 14 years old and they would be going over to the boy's dad's house. He thought about everything. So Barry was under the impression that his son was literally a couple of streets away from his own home, rather than 30 miles away in Essex. So exactly what happened inside Lewis's flat is unknown. We'll probably never know it. But Lauren knows for sure that at some point her son realized that his life was in grave danger. And her heart breaks to imagine that moment, how scared Breck must have be when he was tied up, he was gagged, and he was stabbed by somebody that he trusted, somebody that he saw as a trusted close friend. So Breck was laid to rest on St. Patrick's Day, which was March 17, 2014, a day that would have been his 15th birthday. The family was then left to learn how to navigate through life without their beloved Brack. Lauren recalls that the year after her son's death was a time that she went through life like a zombie. She basically only managed to crawl out of bed for the triplet school events or things that had to do with Breck. And she recognizes and acknowledges the fact that her 12 year olds not only lost their brother, but they also lost a normally functioning mother at that point. So on November 25, 2014, Lewis appeared in court. And Lauren was truly stunned to see because this is the first time she's laying eyes on this kid, how young he truly appeared to be, despite the fact that at this point in time he was 19 years old. To her, he probably resembled maybe somebody that was like 15.

[Alison]

Or 16. Yeah. If you're watching or listening, go look at him right now. I mean, that's. He looks like.

[Mike]

A kid. He looks like a kid. And she couldn't understand why her son ended up dead, why he did what he did, because had he just presented himself as a, a normal friend, he would have been welcomed into their home and into their.

[Alison]

Son'S life. Well, clearly this kid's got tons of stuff wrong.

[Mike]

With Him. Absolutely. So Lewis was maintaining the story of self defense until the day that he shocked everyone and he suddenly changed his plea to guilty. So obviously, this saved Breck's family from going through the horrific ordeal of a trial. And on January 12, 2015, Louis Danes was sentenced to life with a minimum term of.

[Alison]

25 years.

I always had to stop. I know that's how it is in. In Europe. It's just.

[Mike]

So dumb. So he would be about 44 years old then when he.

[Alison]

Was released. Like, he deserves to be burned or thrown into an ocean and drowned. Like he's. He's useless. Like he's such a. Like he hurts so, so many people for his own six sexual needs. Like, just. Ah, man, he should have just.

[Mike]

Offed himself. And he just should never have the opportunity to walk free from prison because Brett will never have the opportunity to live.

[Alison]

Another day. That and also, clearly, he is not fixable. Like, this kid is off the. Off.

[Mike]

The range. Exactly. So here's my thing. If he was capable of doing something this horrific at any 18 years old, what will he be capable of doing at 44 years old if he gets out at.

[Alison]

25 years? Nothing. Good. Because he got a taste of something that he liked, you know, and then these monsters just keep getting worse.

[Mike]

And worse. Right. And I have absolutely no doubt that this kid, or guy or man, whatever he will be when he's ultimately released, will be a danger to.

[Alison]

Other men. Whatever he is, is.

[Mike]

A.

[Alison]

Monster. Right. He needs to leave.

[Mike]

The earth. So obviously, Brock's family felt that 25 years was not enough for what he had done to their brother and their son. They were shocked that someone so young could have been capable of such control and evil. He was a mastermind. And this took place over a year. This started when he.

[Alison]

Was 17. You know, I mean, it's not. I don't like calling him anything positive. I wouldn't say a mastermind. He wanted what he wanted so bad that he really went after it. Yeah, he was very dedicated. I wouldn't say he's a mastermind. He's a piece of garbage and scum of the earth and the worst of.

[Mike]

The worst. So Lauren learned that Lewis had a record, and he had previously groomed a boy from the United States and as well as boys from the uk. Wow. He had also sexually assaulted a boy his own age when he was as young as 15.

[Alison]

Years old. This is the kind of kid you got to keep.

[Mike]

Tabs on. Seriously scary. So at this point in time, when he was 15 and this happened he claimed that it had been a consensual relationship. He was also known to have indecent images of young boys on his computer. So after Louis was abandoned by his mom when he was 11 years old, he went into the foster care system. He lived with his grandma part time, and then when he turned 18, he got his own flat. And neighbors of this flat described him as reclusive. So, although through their pain and grief, because obviously Lauren was just utterly gutted and devastated because she did.

[Alison]

All the right things, she knew this guy was a danger. She thought, okay, he's out of our lives now, onto something else, unfortunately. And unfortunately.

[Mike]

He walks. But her biggest thing was, is that she wanted to do something to honor her precious son's life. So she went on to create the Breck foundation in 2014. The organization raises awareness of the risks of online grooming, exploitation, and digital abuse of children. And it was her goal that what happened to her son not happen to anyone else. She obviously was going through such hell that she wanted to stop another family from suffering as.

[Alison]

They were. Yeah, because there's nothing you can do about bringing your son back, but you can try to save.

[Mike]

Someone else. So she educates young people to recognize the risks so that they could potentially see what might be happening to themselves, a friend or a sibling. Mostly they're educating so that they can spot the signs in someone else, because she acknowledges the extent that when someone's in it and when they're being groomed, oftentimes they can't see the forest through the trees. Is that the expression? It's. It's very hard to recognize.

[Alison]

What'S happening when you're being groomed because you're kind of like, you know, not in love, but, like, you're obsessed with this person. Like, oh, my gosh, they're so cool that everything I talk about, they're interested in. You're getting a lot of positive feedback. And then it's like, oh, they said, oh, they. They want to talk to me so bad that they're telling me to not listen to my mom. So, yeah, I can do this. And then it kind of feels fun.

[Mike]

And dangerous. It's almost like being put under a spell, really. So when Breck was murdered, Lauren had been working in a school, and she would talk about her concerns, what was happening to Breck. And she noticed, though, that no one was really taking her seriously, and no one was really talking about the issue of online grooming. It was almost like. Like this. This tale that happens to other people. Like, it doesn't happen to us. It doesn't happen to.

[Alison]

Our kids. I mean, because it's rare enough. Like in the beginning you said they're everywhere, but predators aren't everywhere. Like 99. No, I wouldn't.

[Mike]

They're not.

[Alison]

Would be. They're not everywhere. Like they're. Most of the people you talk to on a daily basis are not.

[Mike]

A problem. I think that's an ignorant way.

[Alison]

Of thinking. You don't. You think most.

[Mike]

Are predators? No, not most, but they're there. You just have to understand that they.

[Alison]

Are.

[Mike]

There. Right. That's.

[Alison]

The.

[Mike]

Thing. Yeah. So since there was a lack of training, she felt that it wasn't being taken seriously. Students were instructed obviously to avoid talking to strangers online, to not give out personal information. Don't take an image of themselves with their like a dress in the background or their school uniform visible. But they weren't given real information to understand what a safe relationship looks like. They weren't told what grooming, control and manipulation looked like. These were signs that Breck had been unable to see because he saw Lewis as nothing but.

[Alison]

A friend. And it's so hard to get kids attention these days because the dopamine is, you know, so needed because of the scrolling and everything. So it's like you can't have a 40 minute seminar with a bunch of middle school kids. They're not going to be able to listen for.

[Mike]

40 minutes. Right. So I'm sure she keeps it short and sweet. But the point is she is a person who lived through this. She could show an image of her son face and say, this happened to Breck. It can happen to you. So after her son's death, when Lauren spoke with Breck's teachers, they admitted they had noticed changes in their, in her son's personality and the fact that he had pulled away from school. He stopped participating in classroom discussions. These are all signs that something's going on. But like we talked about in the beginning of the episode, unfortunately it can be, you know, clouded over by just normal teenage changes. Because when our daughter was say eight years old, she was with us all the time. She couldn't get enough of the time she spent with us. Now she just turned 14, she wants to be talking to her friends and that's normal. So it's hard sometimes to see the.

[Alison]

Difference there. You want to give their independence and it's hard to determine if it's hormones or if it's.

[Mike]

Something different. Right. Is it something deeper or something bad? So when she spoke with the parents of her son's gaming group. They weren't sure who their children were speaking with online. They didn't really seem very concerned about it. So on top of educating children and teachers to recognize the signs of grooming, she also educates the police as well as anyone else who works with children. She speaks at many conferences and events. Brock's case ended in the most unimaginable tragedy of murder. But many children might be exposed to things that can, you know, lead for them to have mental health struggles. This might be the sharing of sexual images, abuse, blackmail. Like we said, God forbid you share a nude pick and then this person starts to blackmail you. I'm gonna send this to everyone in your school. That's control. This can affect their self esteem because once somebody is manipulated and controlled, they think, man, I'm such a fool. I didn't even see what was happening. But that's just because that person is very skilled and manipulative. So although Lauren's triplets aren't into online gaming, as their big brother was, one of her daughters has experienced issues through social media. When she was contacted by a wannabe predator who are copycats of Brex Killer. Who.

[Alison]

Does this? The worst.

[Mike]

People alive. They actually had to go through a court case to address their issues. As if this family haven't. Hasn't suffered enough, let's just, just throw some more crap.

[Alison]

At them. Yeah, these predators.

[Mike]

Don'T care. So even though what happened to their family has been anyone's worst nightmare, Lauren would never wish for social media or online gaming to disappear because she knew it was one of her son's favorite things. She understands that technology is a natural part of a teen's life. It's not going away. She sees that. She just wants children who are exposed to the Internet, which is everyone, to be educated and to find balance. So the Breck foundation focuses on empowerment and it encourages proactive behavior. And they encourage that if a child sees something, that they say something, say something to a trusted adult. In 2016, the docu drama Murder the Life and Death of Breck Bednar was released. This covers Breck's story. Brecht's friends and family tell their story about the manipulation that engulfed Breck when he met Louis Danes online. Since her son was such an exceptional human, Lord is left to wonder what Breck may have achieved in life. Breck's story is a reminder that even when your children are inside the safety of their own home, they could be at risk by a person that's hiding behind a screen, disguising themselves as a Friend Breck was a highly intelligent young boy who simply loved gaming, as so many other teens his age do. His story highlights how predators can be lurking in the most ordinary corners of everyday life, able to manipulate even the most careful of families. If you're concerned that a child or a young person is being groomed online, you can contact the Known to protect tip line at 833591. Know which is K, N O W or 5669 or submit a cyber tip line report at report. Excuse me, let's try that again. Report.cybertip.org and that is the sad and tragic murder of.

[Alison]

Breck Bednar. And are those phone number. Is the phone number for the.

[Mike]

US Only? I would guess I'm not entirely sure but if you go online and just type in I would like to, you know, use Google. Yes, exactly. So just a terribly, terribly sad and tragic case. And watching the documentary really struck me because I just saw the grief in this mother's eyes. She looked like somebody that I would be friends with. I mean a great family, loving, safe. She took all the steps she should have taken. At the point in time when her son was killed, she truly felt like things were going the right way. Her son had literally just gotten back from Spain days earlier. He was so excited. Never in their wild of wildest dreams did they expect that this is how their son's life would.

[Alison]

Have ended. Yep. That's so incredibly sad. And I have all the faith in the world that Lauren the mom is going to do and continues to do a great job of spreading the word. Like she just seems like someone that has, I don't know her obviously, but she has her stuff together and she was so on top of things to identify that. And Lauren, if you ever see this, I'm so, so incredibly sorry. I couldn't imagine losing.

[Mike]

Our son.

[Alison]

Or daughter.

[Mike]

Or daughter. It happens to.

[Alison]

Girls too. Absolutely. No, no, no doubt about it. But I'm just picturing like.

[Mike]

This is. Well, we're talking about a boy. Yeah. And you know, it was so touching too because her triplets, they were saying like my mom is the most awe inspiring person who has.

[Alison]

Ever existed. She sounds incredible. And all you would do as a parent is beat yourself up, you know, and that's not going to do anything. So please, please, I hope she's not doing that. You know, obviously she's gonna have very sad days and such, but she sounds like she's awesome and doing the right thing, spreading the word. So thanks for your hard.

[Mike]

Work, Lauren. And it just Breaks my heart that every year that her birthday rolls around, that's the anniversary of. Of her son's death. I mean, it's just.

[Alison]

So tragic. You got to try to turn it into something positive. Try to save.

[Mike]

Other kids. Absolutely. That's all you can do. But, I mean, it's just so scary to think when you look at this kid's eyes, this Louis Danes, like, my gosh, what he was capable of at such a young age. It's truly terrifying. And I can only hope that when his chance for parole comes up, that they keep him. Keep.

[Alison]

Him there. Yeah. When you let me listen to the audio and saw his face, I was like, wow, he is a kid. He's a freaking kid. All he wanted was unfortunately essaying this poor boy and then killed him at.

[Mike]

The end. That's tragic. And like her. The family says, like, they have no idea what happened in that apartment. But the moment that her son knew his life was in danger, like, is what just holds in her heart. Yeah. Of how scared he must.

[Alison]

Have been. Stories like these are really important to spread around. So whatever you can do to, you know, spread. Share this to whoever, you know, I mean, you know, it would. I think it would go a long way. And also, I recently found out about something on YouTube. If you're on YouTube, you can hype us. It's called Hype Hype. It's something new. Somebody said they just gave.

[Mike]

Us 9,000 hype points, so thank you so much for.

[Alison]

Doing that. Yeah. So the way it works is if you're a small creator, which we are considered a small creator on YouTube, we need a lot of help. So if you're watching this, go try to find the hype button. I think it's on the mobile app, I think is what.

[Mike]

I've heard. Maybe you should have.

[Alison]

Researched that. No, that's what they tell me ahead of time. So it didn't come up on our page because I'm not, you know, I own the.

[Mike]

Page, so.

[Alison]

Oh, okay. Yeah, it's. From what I'm told, it's on the mobile app. App side, but just like, it's almost in the like area, but something called hype. And if the more you hype it, then we get higher on the scoreboard and we get discovered by more things. So please just hype us up. Hype us up if.

[Mike]

You could. And I can't tell you how much we would truly, truly appreciate that, because we really are trying to grow our YouTube channel. And like we said a million times over, our son is working Hard on our videos. We've had a few struggles with that. But you know, he's a teenage.

[Alison]

Boy.

[Mike]

Right? That's. What are you going.

[Alison]

To do? And so hype only works for the first seven days of a video. So don't go back on the old ones. Just this one though. If you're watching this within seven days of release, then please just hype.

[Mike]

This video. Yeah. Thank you guys and thank you so much for listening, for following us along, for sending us supportive words. It means truly the world to us and we just.

[Alison]

Thank you. Our community is.

[Mike]

The best. We feel like they. You guys are. Yeah. So thank you for being awesome. We hope that you guys have a wonderful week. We are officially in December. It's craziness.

Don't tell me to effing wrap.

[Ad Host 3]

It up. I want.

[Alison]

To try. I want to try to tell you every single episode when he does that. He's like and this and be good. And I hope you're having a great day and I hope you're breathing oxygen. So.

[Mike]

Yeah. Yeah. Meanwhile you're going on and on and wasting my time and all of our listeners time. So what I meant to say was I saw this meme that was kind of funny that said something about like take your regular anxiety and make it like holiday anxiety. You've got lights and twinkles. But it's, it's that much.

[Alison]

More amped up with sprinkles and peppermint all.

[Mike]

Over.

[Alison]

It. Exactly. And I read something about anxiety. Anxiety is just a prediction, so don't worry too much. It's just a bad prediction and maybe, you know, just be like whatever. I can't control it. It's just.

[Mike]

That simple. It's basically like fearing what you have no control of in the future. But that's so much easier said.

[Alison]

Than done. Yeah, I was joking. It's.

[Mike]

Not simple. Anyway, wait, are, are you okay for me to wrap this.

[Alison]

Up, Mike? I was about 30 seconds ago.

[Mike]

30 seconds. Okay. I just need to make sure.

[Alison]

It'S okay. 45.

[Mike]

Seconds ago. And on that note, until.

[Ad Host 1]

Next.

[Mike]

Time.

[Alison]

Bye.

Your. Your.

[Mike]

Reactions best. What a freaking.

[Alison]

A hole. Let's wrap.

[Mike]

This up.

I'll wrap.

[Alison]

You up. Yeah, well, that'd.

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