A grieving Hampshire family is sharing the tragic details of their son Vlad’s death in May 2024, in a bid to raise awareness about the dangers of pro-suicide online communities still operating in the UK.
Vlad, just 17 years old, passed away after ingesting a lethal poison, allegedly encouraged by members of an online group promoting self-harm and suicide.
His mother, Anna Nikolin-Caisley, recounts the horrifying moments on the morning of May 7, when she was abruptly awakened by her son’s desperate screams.
“Mum! Call doctors!” Vlad shouted, revealing he had ingested poison and identifying the substance. “I don’t know what the substance is, but he’s changed his mind, and he came to me for help, to save him,” Anna recalls, describing her son’s frantic attempt to seek help.
Despite his desperate plea, Vlad’s condition deteriorated rapidly. His father, Graham Caisley, describes finding their son disoriented, with clenched hands and shaking uncontrollably.
“It was just a state of panic,” he says. “His hands were all clenched up and he was shaking. It was violent, it was sudden.”
Within minutes, the family was in a frantic attempt to resuscitate Vlad, with Graham performing CPR while paramedics guided him over the phone.
Vlad was later pronounced dead after emergency responders arrived, but attempts to save him proved futile. Police body-worn camera footage shows the emotional toll of the ordeal, capturing the heartbreak and chaos that followed.
The Caisley family believes that Vlad’s death was influenced by an online pro-suicide community that continues to encourage vulnerable teenagers to harm themselves.
Despite public outcry and government assurances, groups like these are still active on various online platforms. “It feels like he was encouraged to do this,” Anna says, voicing the family’s shock and anger over the accessibility of such harmful content.
This tragedy comes amid calls for greater regulation of online platforms. In response to growing concerns, the UK government is set to enforce new rules later this year under the Online Safety Act, which will require platforms to remove illegal content related to suicide and self-harm.
However, the Samaritans charity has warned that the new laws may not go far enough in preventing further harm. The organization has advocated for stricter measures and better monitoring to protect vulnerable individuals from being exposed to harmful online communities.
The Caisley family hopes their decision to publicly share their heartbreaking story will prompt authorities and tech companies to take more effective action.
“We want to make sure no other family has to go through what we’ve been through,” Anna says, her voice thick with emotion. “No one should have to watch their child suffer like that.”
The tragic loss of Vlad serves as a stark reminder of the dangerous influence of online spaces that promote self-harm, and the urgent need for stronger laws and protections to safeguard young people from these harmful networks.
