Megan Meier

Guide Note

Megan Meier, born November 6, 1992, committed suicide on October 17, 2006. Her suicide has been attributed to Cyberbullying that took place through her account on MySpace.

The bullying was perpetrated through the account of "Josh Evans," a fictional 16-year-old boy, that, according to police reports, belonged to Lori Drew, the mother of one of Meier's friends.

Drew was charged with one count of conspiracy and three counts of accessing protected computers without authorization to obtain information to inflict emotional distress on May 16, 2008.

Fast Facts

1. Born: November 6, 1992
2. Committed suicide on October 17, 2006
3. Suicide thought to have been motivated by Cyberbullying
4. Bullying took place though Meier's MySpace account
5. Lori Drew admitted to creating the account and using it to communicate with Meier
6. Account in question was of "Josh Evans," a fictional 16-year-old boy
7. Suffered from Attention Deficit Disorder and Depression

Meier befriended the fictional character, believing he was a home-schooled boy living in a neighboring town. After some time, messages from "Evans" became increasingly antagonistic. After an initial investigation, Drew admitted that she had created the account with her friend's daughter, who had experienced a recent falling out with Meier, and that the two considered the ordeal a playful hoax.

Local prosecutors did not bring any charges against Drew. However, a federal investigation, granted jurisdiction because MySpace headquarters is located in California, brought charges of one count of conspiracy and three counts of accessing protected computers without authorization to obtain information to inflict emotional distress against Drew on May 15, 2008.