In a shocking and tragic incident, 14-year-old Davi Nunes Moreira became the victim of a deadly internet challenge.
In an attempt to gain attention, he followed a dangerous trend and injected a concoction that contained crushed butterfly wings into his leg.
The results were horrific. What started as a seemingly harmless attempt for online notoriety quickly turned into a slow and agonizing death for the young boy.
A painful seven-day struggle
Deadly viral challenges have become a growing concern, as more people, especially teens, are risking their lives for online fame. From dangerous dares to harmful stunts, these trends can have tragic consequences.
One of the many young victims of this trend was 14-year-old Davi Nunes Moreira from Brazil.
After starting to limp and vomit, the boy initially told his father that he had hurt himself while playing. However, when his condition worsened and his father discovered a syringe under his pillow, the young boy confessed to hospital staff what he had done.
Apparently, Davi had taken a dead butterfly, crushed it, mixed the remains with water, and injected the resulting liquid into his right leg. This act is believed to have been part of an online challenge, as reported by the Daily Mail.
While some Brazilian media outlets are also speculating that Davi may have been inspired by an online experiment, it is reported that the teen denied this claim before his death.
An ongoing investigation
Despite receiving expert care, Davi’s condition continued to deteriorate, and doctors were unable to save him. Sadly, he endured a painful seven-day struggle before passing away in February, at a hospital in Planalto, Brazil.
Luiz Fernando D. Relvas, a specialist at the hospital, told VivaBem that ”it could have been an embolism, an infection, or an allergic reaction.”
”We don’t know how he prepared this mixture or the size of the fragments he managed to inject into the body,” he explained.
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”There may have been air left inside, which could lead to an embolism,” he added, noting that such a condition can result in sudden deterioration and even death.
There is also an ongoing investigation into whether toxins from the butterfly could have caused organ failure and septic shock, which ultimately led to the boy’s death.
Professor Marcelo Duarte, director of Sao Paulo University’s Zoology Museum and a butterfly specialist, explained (via Daily Mail): “Butterflies have a complex biology, and the fluids present in their bodies have not been studied in depth in terms of their toxicity to humans.”
Another incident
Civil Police in Vitoria da Conquista, who are leading the investigation, stated that an autopsy will help clarify the cause of death.
In a similar incident last April, a Brazilian influencer almost had to undergo amputation after participating in a dangerous viral challenge for her two million followers.
”Thammy MC” was left unable to walk after standing in a bucket of ice and salt for an online ”dare” that caused her feet to turn black and nearly led to the amputation of her toes.