Social networking suicide cult claims new victim

by Jacquie Bowser, Brand Republic 06-Feb-08, 10:50

LONDON - A 14th teenager from the same town in South Wales has committed suicide, renewing fears that the deaths may be linked by social networking websites such as Bebo and Facebook.

Angie Fuller, 18, was found hanging from a banister at her home in Bridgend by fiance Joel Williams, 21, in the middle of the night. It emerged that she had visited a social networking website just hours before she died.

Her recently updated Facebook profile said: "I don't like myself, but hey who does? I'm an angry drunk, I hate religion, I love my boyfriend and I had all my hair cut short and dyed purple yesterday!"

Fiance Williams paid an online tribute to Fuller on his MySpace profile page.

It reads: "Just a note to let you all know that at 1am Monday morning, life took away from us one of the kindest, sweethearted loving people we could ever have been blessed to know. I love Angie and I always will."

Fuller lived just streets away from Andrew O'Neill, 19, who was found hanged in September, although it is not known if they knew each other.

Police have ruled out any immediate link with the other 13 hangings of youths in the area.

Fuller's death follows the suicide of Natasha Randall, 17, who hanged herself less than a month ago.

Randall's death raised fears that the suicides were related to a desire for the "prestige" that is associated with having a memorial page on the social networking site Bebo.

Many of the victims from Bridgend had posted personal profiles on Bebo and since their deaths, friends have set up memorial sites where others can post messages, photographs and videos remembering their dead friends.

The others that have died include Dale Crole, 18, who was found dead in January 2007; followed by David Dilling, 19; Thomas Davies, 20; Zachary Barnes, 17; Gareth Morgan, 27; James Knight, 26; Jason Williams 21, Leigh Jenkins, 22, Liam Clarke, 20; Alan Price 21 and Luke Goodridge, 20.

The suicides have been discussed by Welsh Assembly ministers and police have set up a task force in Bridgend to investigate the deaths.