Megan Meier Police Reports

Cops chronicle MySpace hoax that ended in 13-year-old's suicide

NOVEMBER 20--Here is the police report detailing the heartless online hoax that apparently triggered last year's suicide of 13-year-old Megan Meier. The Missouri teenager became despondent after a boy she met via MySpace abruptly and viciously turned on her, accusing the girl of promiscuity and saying the world would be better without her. However, as the St. Charles County Sheriff's Department report notes, Megan's online friend "Josh Evans" was, in fact, the creation of a local family seeking to determine whether Megan was saying derogatory things about their daughter. The adult behind the "Josh" ruse was Lori Drew, whose daughter had been friends with Megan, who died 13 months ago. Drew admitted to police that she created the phony MySpace profile in a bid to smoke out negative comments about her child by Megan, who is pictured at right. It was only after the girl's death (which is detailed in this sheriff's report) that her mother, Tina, discovered that "Josh" was created by Drew, who lived four doors away. Drew, along with her husband Curt, sent the Meiers a handwritten note last year saying they had "every compassion" for the Meiers and asked for a chance to talk to them. After law enforcement agencies determined that Drew apparently could not be held criminally accountable, the Meier family decided to go public with details of the hoax. Drew approached the sheriff's department last November, after "the neighborhood...found out her involvement in Megan's suicide and her neighbors have become hostile toward her and her family." Drew, the report noted, wanted the neighborhood tension to be documented in case any of her property was subsequently damaged. Since last December, Drew, 48, has filed three police complaints alleging harassment and property damage in retaliation for her MySpace hoax. She has reported a brick being thrown through her kitchen window and claimed that Megan's father Ronald yelled at her, "Who are you gonna kill today?" In April, Drew told police that a paintball had been shot at her sunroom's window, causing about $50 in damage. While Drew had previously placed a surveillance camera in the sunroom, the tape did not help identify a suspect. And, as a sheriff's report notes, "Drews did not wish to release the tape, as she anticipated a civil law suit against her by Meier and may need the tape for legal purposes." (13 pages)

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