Man pleads for true-crime TikTokers to stop capitalizing on his mom’s murder

Meera Jacka
Man pleads for true-crime TikTokers to stop capitalizing on his mom’s murder

A man has slammed TikTokers for using his mom’s horrific death for views online after she was murdered by her mentally ill daughter.

The true crime community on TikTok is undoubtedly large, the hashtag having raked in already over 47 billion views with no signs of slowing down.

However, the ethics of making videos on real-life tragedies are at times questioned — especially when the family members of those involved are still dealing with the aftermath.

Now, one man is pleading with TikTokers to stop using his mom’s murder for views after she was killed four years ago by her daughter, who had been struggling with mental illness and was later diagnosed with schizophrenia.

Odessa Carey was 73 when she was killed in her home in 2019, and her family is still “trying to put [their] lives back together.” But her son claims TikTokers rehashing the horrific details of the crime are making the grieving journey more difficult than needed.

In an exclusive with the Daily Star, Lawrence Crook said, “People see it as entertainment, to see how many likes they can get. But they need to stop and think about the real families behind it.”

Still coming to terms with the death and having spent years trying to find his younger sister help before the worst came to fruition, Crook admitted the TikToks “[bring] us all back to day one.”

He also stated he had already seen two this year alone, slamming those using his mom’s murder for clicks; “At the end of the day, they haven’t got a clue what they are talking about. If they stopped and thought about the family they wouldn’t do it.”

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About The Author

Meera Jacka is a Senior Entertainment and Trending News Writer on the Australian Dexerto team. She completed her undergrad at Curtin University with a double major in professional writing and publishing and creative writing, graduating with Honours in creative writing. A horror fan with a guilty pleasure in reality TV, Meera covers all things entertainment and trending news, with the occasional film and gaming content thrown in the mix. Contact Meera at meera.jacka@dexerto.com