It was 2006. MySpace was the center of the universe for every teenager in America. 13-year-old Megan Meier, a girl from Dardenne Prairie, Missouri, who had struggled with depression and weight issues since the third grade, finally felt like she was winning. She had a new online boyfriend.
His name was Josh Evans. He was 16, cute, and lived in a nearby town. He told Megan she was beautiful. For a girl who spent years feeling like an outsider, Josh was a lifeline.
But Josh Evans didn’t exist.
Josh was a digital ghost created by Lori Drew, the 47-year-old mother of a girl Megan used to be friends with. This wasn't a teenage prank gone wrong; it was a calculated adult-led deception that ended in a funeral. Honestly, even nearly twenty years later, the details of the Megan Meier Lori Drew case still feel like a gut punch because it forced us to realize that the person behind the screen isn't always who they say they are—and sometimes, they aren't even a peer.
The "Josh Evans" Hoax: A Neighborhood Feud Gone Nuclear
The fallout between Megan and Lori Drew’s daughter was typical middle school drama. Rumors, hurt feelings, the usual. But instead of letting the girls work it out, Lori Drew, along with her daughter and a temporary employee named Ashley Grills, decided to get even.
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They built the "Josh Evans" profile to "see what Megan was saying" about Lori’s daughter. They spent weeks building trust. They flirted. They made Megan feel safe.
Then, on October 16, 2006, the tone shifted.
"Josh" started becoming cruel. He told Megan he had heard she was "mean to her friends." The final message sent to Megan is etched into the history of the internet: "The world would be a better place without you."
Megan was devastated. She retreated to her bedroom. When her mother, Tina Meier, went to check on her 20 minutes later, she found Megan had hanged herself in her closet. She died the next day.
The Trial That Broke the Internet
For over a year, the public didn't know the truth. It wasn't until November 2007, when the St. Charles Journal broke the story, that the world learned a mother was behind the profile. People were livid. How could there be no charges?
Local prosecutors basically said their hands were tied. There was no "cyberbullying" law in Missouri in 2006. Harassment laws back then were written for telephones and physical stalking, not MySpace messages.
Eventually, federal prosecutors in California (where MySpace was headquartered) got creative. They charged Lori Drew under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA).
The logic? By creating a fake profile, Drew had violated MySpace’s Terms of Service. Therefore, her access to the site was "unauthorized." It was a massive legal reach.
- 2008 Trial: A jury found Drew guilty of three misdemeanor counts of "unauthorized access."
- 2009 Overturn: U.S. District Judge George H. Wu threw the conviction out.
Judge Wu’s reasoning was pretty sound, actually, even if it felt like an injustice at the time. He argued that if violating a website’s "Terms of Service" was a federal crime, then anyone who lied about their age or weight on a dating site could be a felon.
Lori Drew walked away a free woman, at least in the eyes of the law.
Why We Still Talk About Megan Meier
You’ve probably seen the "Megan Meier" laws that popped up in the years following the tragedy. Her mother, Tina Meier, turned her grief into a massive engine for change. She founded the Megan Meier Foundation, which has reached hundreds of thousands of students.
Because of this case, Missouri and dozens of other states completely overhauled their harassment statutes to include digital communication. We finally stopped looking at online bullying as "just kids being kids."
What most people get wrong
A lot of people think Lori Drew was some shadowy mastermind acting alone. In reality, the 18-year-old employee, Ashley Grills, later admitted she was the one who typed that final, devastating message. She claimed she was trying to end the "relationship" because it had gone too far.
Does that excuse Lori Drew? No. She provided the platform, the permission, and the motivation.
The Legacy of the Case
If you’re a parent or an educator today, you’re living in a world shaped by this tragedy. The case taught us three hard truths:
- Adults can be the bullies: We often focus on peer-to-peer conflict, but the "adult-led" nature of the Megan Meier case changed how we view parental responsibility.
- Terms of Service aren't laws: You can't rely on a website's rules to protect you or to prosecute someone else.
- The "Delete" button is a lie: The digital footprint left by the Drew family was what eventually led to the exposure of the hoax, even after they tried to scrub the account.
Actionable Steps for Digital Safety
If you're dealing with online harassment or want to prevent a "Josh Evans" situation in your own home, here is what actually works based on the lessons from this case.
Don't wait for "laws" to catch up.
Law enforcement is often two steps behind technology. If someone is being harassed, document everything immediately. Take screenshots. Don't just block and delete; save the evidence first.
Verify online identities.
It sounds cynical, but the "trust but verify" rule is vital. In the Megan Meier case, "Josh" refused to talk on the phone or meet in person. Those are red flags that are now standard "catfishing" warnings, but in 2006, they were just seen as a boy being shy.
Use the Megan Meier Foundation resources.
If you are an educator or a parent, the Megan Meier Foundation provides specific toolkits for dealing with cyberbullying and suicidal ideation. They offer presentations that help kids understand the weight of their words.
Understand the "Upstander" role.
One of the most tragic parts of Megan's story is that other kids joined in on the bullying once "Josh" turned on her. Teaching children to speak up when they see an unfair dogpile can literally save a life.
The Megan Meier Lori Drew story isn't just a piece of internet history. It’s a warning about the fragility of the human spirit in a digital age. We can't stop people from being cruel, but we can change how we respond to that cruelty.
If you or someone you know is struggling, you can reach out to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988 in the US and Canada, or 111 in the UK.