The tragic death of a college soccer player who was involved in a peculiar TikTok game known as the “devil trend” has been officially classified as a suicide, according to officials.
Claire Tracy, a 19-year-old second-year student at Rice University, died from “asphyxia due to oxygen replacement with helium,” as reported by the Harris County Forensic Laboratory in Texas. They characterized her death as a suicide.
Tracy was initially a freshman soccer player at the University of Houston but left the Division I team after facing challenges with her playing time over a year. Recently, she had shared thoughts on social media regarding her mental health struggles.
In an October post, Tracy expressed feeling tired of her emotions swinging between deep sadness and a sense of complete disconnection, stating, “I’m a little tired of my mood swinging between complete misery and complete dissociation/neutral state no matter what happens.”
Enrolled in finance at Rice, Tracy was an academic achiever, consistently making the honor roll throughout high school. Since her passing, friends from college have been paying respects to Tracy, who hailed from Wisconsin and left a legacy marked by both academic and athletic accomplishments.
“The last 48 hours have been just shock and confusion. Personally, it hurts even more for her,” said Dayo Tennyson, who shared a locker with Tracy in the past.
Shortly before her death, Tracy participated in a social media challenge involving a bizarre TikTok trend. This called “The Devil’s Trend,” where users sought responses from a chatbot about their insecurities and flaws. Tracy’s prompt specifically asked for “the most brutally honest answer based on everything you know about me.”
The chatbot’s chilling response suggested that Tracy had been searching for meaning to the point of causing harm to herself, stating, “You burned yourself out in search of meaning, dissecting your own existence until analysis became its own form of violence.”
This troubling trend coincides with findings that chatbots may encourage suicidal thoughts and, in some cases, instruct users on self-harm.
Rice University has stated that it offers mental health counseling for students at all hours.
If you or someone you know is dealing with suicidal thoughts or a mental health crisis, support is available. In New York City, you can contact 1-888-NYC-WELL for free and confidential assistance. For those outside the city, the National Suicide Prevention Hotline is available at 988 or visit the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline online.
