A Growing Number of TikTokers Are Condemning the Teenagers Who Stole Marcus Adams's Necklace
Aug. 10 2021, Published 12:33 p.m. ET
Content warning: This article discusses a disturbing video involving a dead body.
Two teenage girls were charged with theft from a human corpse or grave in Bexar County, Tex., after posting a Snapchat video showing how they removed a necklace from a dead man's body.
Seventeen-year-old Bethany Martin and her 16-year-old friend found 25-year-old Marcus Adams's body near a drainage ditch. The incident caused a great uproar on social media, with many TikTok users condemning the heinous act using the #MarcusAdams and #JusticeForMarcusAdams hashtags.
A growing number of TikTokers have criticized the teenagers who stole Marcus Adams's necklace.
Martin and her 16-year-old friend were taken into police custody on Tuesday, July 27, 2021, after posting a video capturing how they stole a necklace from Marcus Adams's dead body on Snapchat. It's understood that the video was first circulated on NextDoor before being submitted to the police.
Martin and the unnamed minor reportedly called a male friend who joined them on the scene before alerting 911. They shot the Snapchat video capturing the abhorrent act before the police arrived. It's understood that Martin discarded the chain before handing over the pendant to the 16-year-old.
The teenagers admitted that they stole the necklace upon their arrest. They told authorities that they decided to do so because the 16-year-old had felt that it "matched her fashion style." Martin reportedly told the police she was careful not to touch the body while committing the felony.
"What did we come to, as a society, where not only is it ... Do these young folks feel like it's OK to do that but then ... that video ends up on social media?" Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar told KENS 5. "And we have found that the young man's family actually saw it on social media."
"It's bad enough to steal from the living. But to steal from the dead?" Marcus's dad, Marcus Adams Sr., told KENS 5. "He's helpless. He's no longer here. He couldn't fight back."
The medical examiner has ruled that Marcus Adams died by suicide.
Marcus died by suicide, the medical examiner has ruled. He reportedly went missing two days before.
"He just had those type of friends, cousins, extended family that just loves him because of his attitude and how you'll make fun," Marcus's mother, Aisha, told KENS 5.
Marcus's family set up a GoFundMe page.
A growing number of TikTokers are condemning the atrocity.
Marcus's tragic death and the teenage girls' hideous deed have united TikTokers, who are now demanding justice for him via short videos posted under hashtags like #MarcusAdams and #JusticeForMarcusAdams.
A TikTok account, @23._.bethany._.23), which is believed to be run by Martin, posted a video showing two young girls sitting on a couch that read, "Us remembering we found a dead body this morning."
"I wish we were kidding :/ all respect to the family," read the caption.
A TikTok user named Lorrin Adams (@lorrinadams), who identified herself as Marcus's cousin, has condemned Martin for stealing the necklace and posting the footage on social media. As she pointed out, the crime is made even more appalling by the fact that the video helped Martin obtain even more followers.
