Warning: Graphic content
VANCOUVER – A B.C. father whose teenage daughter died by suicide after he says she was groomed by the online extremist network 764 says the group turned his family’s life into “an insane horror movie.”
Jason Sokolowski says his daughter Penelope was a gifted and creative child who loved art, amusement parks and spending time online, creating digital worlds in games like Minecraft and Roblox.
“She would just create and see beauty in almost everything in a way that most people didn’t,” Sokolowski told CTV News in his Vancouver home.
He and Penelope’s mother thought they were taking the necessary precautions to keep their daughter safe.
“My ex had a parenting app on her phone that kind of told her what she was watching, what she was searching and all of that,” Sokolowski said. “I made the effort of generally being in her room sometimes just to see what she was doing, and I took a genuine interest in her world.”
But within a couple of years, he watched her personality change dramatically, to the point he could barely recognize her.
Penelope’s grades dropped. She stopped going to school. Then she started self-harming.
“I came into the bathroom, and she had cut up her legs,” Sokolowski said. “We made some decisions of therapy, and we should go to the hospital.”
Sokolowski later discovered his daughter appeared to have been groomed by someone linked to the 764 group, a decentralized online network the RCMP says targets youth on gaming and social media platforms.
He says Penelope was manipulated into harming herself, and whoever had gained her trust even encouraged violence against family pets.
“There is video of my daughter trying to kill my cat, which got sent to me by members of the group,” Sokolowski said.
He says the abuse escalated into repeated suicide attempts for an online audience.
“I would say three to four other attempts, and they may or may not have been livestreamed or put out there on Twitch or Discord,” he said.
Penelope died by suicide in February 2025, three days before her 16th birthday.
Her dad, in his grief, has been consumed ever since with learning more about the horrors of 764.
“They are grooming and teaching children how to do as much chaos and damage within their home and their community and the institutions that they go to, before they ultimately do an act of violence on themselves or someone else” he said.
Sokolowski has documented his journey on TikTok, and says he is regularly contacted by victims of online extortion.
His warning comes as the RCMP announced terrorism charges against a Quebec man accused of promoting the ideology of 764 and attempting to recruit teenagers online.
“We are seeing more and more acts of this group online,” said RCMP Const. Marie-Pierre Guertin. “It’s a global phenomenon especially linked to the English-speaking population.”
The RCMP said 26-year-old Jeffrey Roussel was arrested Tuesday in Quebec City, where officers also seized a laptop and two cellphones.
Last December, Canada was the first country to list the 764 network as a terrorist entity.
Sokolowski places a lot of the blame for what the organization has been able to do on social media. “We don’t let kids drive cars, use guns, drink alcohol. Social media is turning out to be just as dangerous to children as any of those three,” he said.
With files from CTV News’ Kristen Yu
If you or someone you know is in crisis, here are some resources that are available.
Canada Suicide Crisis Helpline (Call or text 988)
Crisis Services Canada (1-833-456-4566 or text 45645)
Kids Help Phone (1-800-668-6868)
If you need immediate assistance, call 911 or go to the nearest hospital.
