MADISON, WI — On March 5, 2025, Brittney Bird walked downstairs to tell her 15-year-old son Bradyn there was a snow day at D.C. Everest High School and that he could spend the day skiing with his friends. Instead, she discovered that Bradyn had taken his own life only hours after being targeted in an online sextortion scheme.
Months later, Bird wore a necklace containing her son’s ashes as she stood before lawmakers in Madison. Through tears, she urged them to pass a tougher law that she believes could save other families from the same heartbreak.
The Birth of Bradyn’s Law
Bradyn’s death spurred Wisconsin lawmakers to act quickly. In June, the state Assembly unanimously passed a bill called Bradyn’s Law, making sextortion a standalone crime. The legislation, co-authored by Reps. Patrick Snyder of Weston and Brent Jacobson of Mosinee, increases penalties for offenders and acknowledges the growing severity of online exploitation.
Currently, sextortion is prosecuted under general extortion laws, which carry penalties of up to 10 years in prison. Bradyn’s Law would go much further:
- Offenders could face up to 60 years in prison if the victim dies by suicide.
- Other sextortion-related offenses would carry fines up to $25,000 and prison sentences of up to 10 years.
- Victims and families would also be eligible for compensation through the state’s crime victim fund, which covers medical expenses, counseling, and lost wages.
“This bill sends a message to those who would try and do this to stay out of Wisconsin and stay away from our kids,” Snyder said during debate on the Assembly floor.
A Mother’s Testimony in the Senate
The bill advanced to the Senate this September, where Bird delivered an emotional testimony before the Judiciary and Public Safety Committee…