My sister was found dead. Then I discovered her search history – and the online world that had gripped her
Adele Zeynep Walton's sister, Aimee, was a talented artist who loved music, but her tragic death revealed a hidden world that had consumed her. Aimee, 21, had struggled with mental health issues for months, becoming increasingly isolated. Though she had a passion for music technology and art, and even got invited by Pharrell Williams to dance on stage multiple times, she became unreachable in the final months of her life.
In October 2022, while Walton was camping in the New Forest, she saw her parents' car approaching with her mother looking distraught. Walton immediately knew something was terribly wrong—it was Aimee. Aimee had been found dead in a hotel room in Slough, Berkshire, seemingly from suicide.
What Walton and her family discovered in the aftermath was chilling. Aimee had become involved in a dangerous online community that had a significant influence on her mental state. It was only after her death that Walton realized the extent of the online world that had gripped Aimee, and she feared that other young people might also be falling victim to similar networks.