Nearly Four Years Later, a Suspect Is Finally Arrested in Teen James Woods' Sextortion Death

A Family's Long Wait for Justice

The parents of James Woods — Tamia and Tim Woods of Streetsboro, Ohio — have confirmed that a suspect has been arrested in connection with the 2022 sextortion case that led to the death of their son. James died by suicide in November 2022 after falling victim to the crime. The arrest, coming nearly four years after their loss, brought a wave of emotion the couple never expected to feel.

Tim Woods described the moment they learned the news: "When we heard it, we instantly had a smile on our face. Our hearts got warm; it felt like a weight was lifted off our shoulders and it was a lot of tears." Homeland Security and other investigators had come to the Woods' Streetsboro home weeks earlier to deliver the news in person. "He said we found the person who's responsible for James' death and he was arrested. He sat Tim and I down. He showed us a picture, and I just broke down and cried," said Tamia Woods.

What Happened to James Woods

James was just 17 years old when he took his life in November 2022 after being targeted on Instagram. He had been exchanging photos with someone he thought was a 19-year-old girl who had reached out to him. The sextortionist then tried to blackmail him for thousands of dollars. After being harassed with 200 threatening messages over a period of 19 hours, James took his own life.

Chillingly, the predator didn't stop after James died. As the Streetsboro police chief revealed in 2023, "After James died, the bad guy in this case was still pushing it. He was still reaching out and threatening one of his friends to send money. He didn't care that this child had taken his life over this. That wasn't a thing to them. It's just money." James is remembered by his family as an energetic and driven Streetsboro High School student and year-round track and field star who greeted everyone with a welcoming smile and outgoing personality.

The Arrest and What Comes Next

A 23-year-old man, whose name has not yet been released, is in custody in the Ivory Coast, charged in connection with the sextortion that resulted in James Woods' death. Streetsboro Police Chief Tricia Wain confirmed, "It is a 23-year-old from the Ivory Coast, and the Ivorians have him in custody, where he will stand trial. It's not going to be an extradition. So, he won't be coming here."

The Streetsboro police chief noted that it took years of investigating the suspect's messages, and through the investigation, authorities tracked the suspect's IP address and were eventually able to connect him to the crime. Streetsboro Police, the FBI, Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC), and the Department of Homeland Security all worked on the case, with DHS taking the lead. The suspect is facing a combination of charges in the Ivory Coast and could face up to 10 years in jail. Notably, the police chief stressed that "there's an arrest that's been made, but this is not a closed investigation," and that it will likely continue for years to come.

Turning Grief Into a Movement

Almost four years after James' death, Tamia Woods announced the arrest at the inaugural Do It For James Foundation gala in Akron on October 25. The Do It For James Foundation is a non-profit educational organization that teaches about sextortion to increase awareness, provide support, and education to both parents and children on crimes against students, while also supplying a wide range of assistance for those in need.

The Woods family has also been urging Congress to pass the James T. Woods Act — a bipartisan package to make sextortion a federal crime and tighten penalties for online exploitation. The bill would criminalize the extortion and coercion of children using child sexual abuse material — a critical gap, as there is currently no law that explicitly prohibits sextortion. With a suspect now in custody and landmark legislation bearing their son's name advancing in Washington, Tim and Tamia Woods have transformed unimaginable grief into a force that could protect children across the country for generations to come.

If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988. To report sextortion, contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or tips.fbi.gov.