In the digital age, it is incredibly easy to take a glimpse into other people’s lives and assume that there is nothing beyond the screen.

Truly, there is no reason to think there is more than what you see on a screen. It is difficult to picture what is going on behind closed doors, especially when social media usually only highlights the happier moments of people’s lives. Most people do not want their lowest moments captured and put on the internet at all.

Terryon Ishmael “Mr. Prada” Thomas is a popular content creator on TikTok, with 8.4 million followers across his two accounts. He rose to prominence around 2022, where he would post relatable content. However, several creators accused him of stealing their content, to which he admitted, but showed no care for.

Despite his admission, Thomas continued posting stolen content, garnering millions of views. His shameless video-stealing was clearly not enough to deter his audience, and it seems like his embracing of it was what made it funnier to people.

Thomas appeared to be living the dream. Unfortunately, this is where things took a dark turn. Thomas posted his final TikTok on Dec. 12, 2023, disappearing temporarily from the internet shortly after that.

He returned to the internet on March 18, 2024,  by posting a video cutting his hair. His fans expressed worry for him in the comments while also making jokes. Most people were not taking him seriously. In a later video posted to YouTube, he shaves all of his hair off. While cutting his hair, he screams and goes on nonsensical tangents, saying, “Life is a prison. Get me out.” In a later YouTube video, he tells his audience that he has bipolar disorder.

It was incredibly sad to watch because he was clearly going through something.

Around this time, Thomas continued to post content where he opened up more to his audience, telling them that he had been in a psychiatric ward and had experienced mental breakdowns. Although he did not explicitly say what he was going through, Thomas implied that he was doing better as he was trying to follow his therapist’s advice.

Despite that, on Oct. 1, Thomas was arrested in connection to the killing of William Nicholas Abraham, a therapist who resided in Baton Rouge. Abraham was captured arriving at Thomas’ apartment on the night of Sept. 28. His body was found inside a blue tarp the next day.

While the relationship between Thomas and Abraham is unknown, Abraham was arrested for allegedly groping an 11-year-old boy during a therapy session in 2015. People speculated that since Thomas would have been 11 at the time of the incident, this must have been the motive for the murder and could also have been what sparked his mental health issues. However, nothing is confirmed as of now, and these theories are based on a mere coincidence.

Thomas’ story is one of many where people were able to see the signs. People watched him have a mental health crisis for months after his return, but it was difficult to do something about it, especially through a screen. Thomas appeared happy, even if sometimes his words would tread on darker subject matters. It was difficult for his audience to take him seriously.

A 2023 study states, “The use of social networks is strongly correlated with the development of anxiety and other psychological problems such as depression, insomnia, stress, decreased subjective happiness and a sense of mental deprivation.”

Thomas could have taken his three-month break for similar reasons. The immense pressure to provide content for an audience every day can make one the victim of their own mental state. Unfortunately, it is now too late, as Thomas has allegedly taken another’s life. It is a tragic case, where a victim has become a suspect.