Teen Kills Himself Over 'Skype Blackmail': Mom

Police are looking into the death of a Scottish teenager who appears to have killed himself after being blackmailed online, the Guardian reports. Daniel Perry, 17, chatted with someone on Skype who he thought was an American girl. His mother said police have learned that blackmailers threatened to show his family the chats unless he paid into a bank account. "Knowing him as I do, he has felt embarrassed, horrified, and has thought he's let everybody down," his mother said.

She wishes he had known that "nothing is ever that bad that you have to kill yourself. ... I still can't believe this has happened and expect him to walk through the door any minute." What's more, Daniel had been bullied on the website ask.fm, where he was told via messages to "kill yourself mate" and "let a blade meet your throat." Hannah Smith, a 14-year-old British girl, also killed herself after being abused on the site, CNN reports. Her funeral took place today. (More Skype stories.)