Wisconsin Mother’s Fight Turns Grief Into Action: Bradyn’s Law Moves Closer to Reality

MADISON, WI — On March 5, 2025, Brittney Bird walked downstairs to tell her 15-year-old son Bradyn there was a snow day at D.C. Everest High School and that he could spend the day skiing with his friends. Instead, she discovered that Bradyn had taken his own life only hours after being targeted in an online sextortion scheme.

Months later, Bird wore a necklace containing her son’s ashes as she stood before lawmakers in Madison. Through tears, she urged them to pass a tougher law that she believes could save other families from the same heartbreak.

The Birth of Bradyn’s Law

Bradyn’s death spurred Wisconsin lawmakers to act quickly. In June, the state Assembly unanimously passed a bill called Bradyn’s Law, making sextortion a standalone crime. The legislation, co-authored by Reps. Patrick Snyder of Weston and Brent Jacobson of Mosinee, increases penalties for offenders and acknowledges the growing severity of online exploitation.

Currently, sextortion is prosecuted under general extortion laws, which carry penalties of up to 10 years in prison. Bradyn’s Law would go much further:

• Offenders could face up to 60 years in prison if the victim dies by suicide.
• Other sextortion-related offenses would carry fines up to $25,000 and prison sentences of up to 10 years.
• Victims and families would also be eligible for compensation through the state’s crime victim fund, which covers medical expenses, counseling, and lost wages.

“This bill sends a message to those who would try and do this to stay out of Wisconsin and stay away from our kids,” Snyder said during debate on the Assembly floor.

A Mother’s Testimony in the Senate

The bill advanced to the Senate this September, where Bird delivered an emotional testimony before the Judiciary and Public Safety Committee.

“Bradyn sent them $300 and they continued to harass and overwhelm him,” she told lawmakers. “My son’s life was worth more than $300, but these people didn’t think so. These criminals know how to do this, and they target successful, happy kids — kids with so much to lose.”

Her words were echoed by Snyder, who emphasized the speed at which sextortion cases can escalate:

“From the start of the blackmail to the time they take their lives, the average time length is only four hours. Just because these evil individuals on the other side maybe didn’t shoot them or put the knife in them, they did commit financial sexual violence.”

The Rising Threat of Sextortion

Sextortion has been described by experts as one of the fastest-growing forms of online child exploitation. According to a 2024 report by the nonprofit Thorn and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, 90% of financial sextortion victims are boys ages 14 to 17.

Reports of online enticement, a category that includes sextortion, grew by more than 300% between 2021 and 2023, with more than 540,000 cases reported in 2024. USA Today investigations have tied at least 30 suicides directly to sextortion crimes.

The FBI has also warned that scammers often pose as peers online, tricking teens into sending explicit photos before threatening to share them publicly if money or additional content is not provided.

Calls for Tech Company Accountability

Beyond strengthening penalties, the Bird family wants lawmakers to hold big tech companies accountable. Bradyn’s stepfather, Luke Bird, cited a recent report from Meta showing it deleted 10 million fake accounts, less than 1% of total fraudulent profiles.

“Social media and other tech are not slowing down,” he said. “Laws and protections need to keep up with that growth.”

Educators share the concern. Casey Nye, superintendent of the D.C. Everest School District, said children are now exposed to dangers far beyond the classroom:

“The dark alleys are online now. Tech companies are not taking care of keeping our alleys safe.”

Bipartisan Momentum and Next Steps

Lawmakers across party lines have voiced strong support for Bradyn’s Law. Sen. Jesse James promised the grieving family, “We will get this over the finish line.” Rep. Jacobson, who represents Bradyn’s hometown of Kronenwetter, said the loss hit him especially hard as a new father:

“It’s shaken me as a new father, which is why I’m so passionate about this bill. This is an effort to have the laws catch up with the dangerous modern technologies in our society.”

The Senate could take up the bill later this fall. If passed, Wisconsin would become one of the first states to treat sextortion as a standalone crime with penalties on par with homicide.

Bradyn’s mother says she will not stop fighting until the law is enacted — and beyond, she wants national change. “If Bradyn, in his death, can save even one more kid, that makes it a little less heavy,” she said.

Do you believe sextortion should carry penalties as severe as murder when it leads to a victim’s death? Should tech companies face consequences for failing to block predators on their platforms?