A Deadly Web of Deceit

Trapped in the Internet's endless hall of mirrors, Lori Drew had become a hoax herself.

Meeting 'Josh'

The Meiers and Drews were once friends and the Drews even took Megan on vacation. They were aware she took medication for depression. Megan struggled with attention-deficit disorder and bouts of anxiety as well; she had been in counseling since third grade. Her mother once had to pick her up from school after she intentionally nicked a wrist, but Tina Meier denies that it was a suicide attempt or serious enough to require medical attention.

The Drews' 13-year-old also "had a hard time fitting in," recalls Michele Mulford, who lives across the street and has a daughter the same age. Soon after moving to the neighborhood, the Drews developed a reputation for being pushy parents who often intervened in little girl squabbles.

Apparently worried about her daughter being left on her own to fend off the junior high bullies, Lori tried to talk the Meiers out of enrolling Megan in private school, insisting "that it was a bad idea," Tina recalls.

When "Josh Evans" suddenly appeared on her MySpace page, Megan was thrilled by the attention of the supposed 16-year-old home-schooler who was new to town. Soon she told him she loved him.

Tina was suspicious from the outset. Megan had a private account; nobody who didn't already know her name could message her. Who was this boy?

Megan brushed aside her mother's questions. He had to know her, right? She just wasn't sure where she might have met him.

"Josh Evans" was hardly alone in the Web wilderness as a figment of someone's imagination. The Internet's unbridled freedom often breeds rampant fakery.

Megan and a friend had created a phony "hot" girl on MySpace the previous year; the Meiers had revoked Megan's computer privileges as a result. She had only recently earned them back, and even then, the Meiers let her chat only if a parent supervised. They allowed her to create her MySpace page despite the site's requirement that users be at least 14.

The chatter between Josh and Megan appeared banal -- How was your day? What music do you like? -- but Tina was still nagged by doubts, and called local police to see if there was a way to confirm who owned the account. How could she make sure Josh wasn't a predator? She remembers being told there was nothing to do unless a crime had been committed.

Once, Josh came online when Megan was at school and Tina was reviewing her messages. She recalls identifying herself and suggesting that Megan was too young for him. Hoping to scare him away, she mentioned her call to police. "He just said okay," Tina remembers. She figured that banning contact altogether would only fuel the fire. At least this way, she and Ron could monitor the chats.

On Sunday night, Oct. 15, Megan went online and was stunned to find a message from Josh, declaring he didn't want to be friends anymore "because I hear you're mean to your friends." Upset, Megan e-mailed Josh to ask why he would say that. Josh was signed off, and Megan went to bed without an answer.