MAN JAILED FOR ENCOURAGING THE SUICIDE OF VULNERABLE 21-YEAR-OLD IN USA AND WAS IN POSSESSION OF INDECENT IMAGES
Warning: This profile contains details readers may find distressing.Dylan Phelan, aged 21, persuaded Travis Dyer to end his life on October 30, 2024, following several months of online communication via Discord.
Throughout this period, Mr Dyer, from Theriot, Louisiana, was identified as vulnerable and facing mental health challenges.
On March 27, 2025, Phelan appeared at Elland Road Police Station in Leeds accompanied by his parents to report his involvement in online events from October 30, 2024.
He revealed that he participated in a video call with two other individuals based in the United States, during which Mr Dyer was encouraged to commit suicide with a shotgun.
During the call, Mr Dyer was urged to self-harm and end his life, which he did while still on the video call.
Investigations showed the encouragement was not a one-off incident but part of ongoing and severe harassment, with Mr Dyer repeatedly urged to self-harm by members of the online group over several months.
After his arrest, Phelan confessed during police interviews that he had become involved with darker online groups on Discord.
He acknowledged that his words contributed to Mr Dyer’s death.
Police also found on his mobile phone an indecent image of a child and other extreme pornographic material.
On March 11, 2026, Phelan admitted to encouraging suicide, and he had previously pleaded guilty to possessing indecent images and extreme pornography at Leeds Magistrates’ Court.
He was sentenced on June 12, 2026, at Leeds Crown Court to a prison term of six years and four months and was issued a 10-year sexual harm prevention order (SHPO).
