Instagram is under fire for allowing a disturbing photo of a slain 17-year-old social media star to stay up for nearly a day after it was posted by a man she was seeing, 21, who is accused of slitting her throat after she had traveled hours to see him.
The image of Bianca Devins’ body was shared by Brandon Andrew Clark, 21, of Cicero in upstate New York, with the caption ‘I’m sorry Bianca’ at around 6.40am on Sunday.
He uploaded it to his Instagram story.
Bianca and Brandon had been seeing each other for around two months after meeting online and she had gone to meet see him on Saturday.
After allegedly killing her, Brandon called 911 and threatened to harm himself. When police arrived at his home, he started stabbing himself in the neck in a suicide attempt.
He was taken to the hospital and Bianca’s body was discovered and has now been charged with her murder.
More than 12 hours after police found her body, Clark’s Instagram story remained active.
There was a filter on it which warned viewers that it was sensitive content but it was easily bypassed by a simple touch of the screen.
Only after other users complained was it removed and it had been screenshotted and shared by scores of users by then.
It took even longer for Instagram to disable Clarks’ account.
Brandon Andrew Clark, 21, of Cicero, is accused of killing 17-year-old Bianca Devins, pictured, before inflicting severe injuries to himself in upstate New York
Police said Clark – thought to be a frequent user of the dark web site 4chan – was being held on a second-degree murder charge and is currently hospitalized
Now, the company is under fire for not acting quickly enough.
It has not addressed the delay but told DailyMail.com on Tuesday: ‘ A spokesman for Instagram told DailyMail.com: ‘We removed this image, and subsequently the account, for violating our policies.
‘To stop the content from spreading, we have technology that allows us to proactively find other attempts to upload the image in question, and automatically remove these posts before anyone sees them.
‘We are also reviewing hashtags and accounts claiming to share this content and taking action in line with our policies.’
Bianca’s family have slammed it as ‘disgusting’ that people took photos of her body.
They are begging people to stop sharing them online and have asked instead that they remember her in a positive way.
‘It is absolutely disgusting that people are sharing, screenshoting the pictures of Bianca’s tragic death!
‘I have seen the pictures. I will FOREVER have those images in my mind when I think of her.
‘When I close my eyes, those images haunt me,’ her mother, Kaleigh Nicole, said on Facebook on Monday night.
The family arranged candlelit vigils for her on Sunday. They are also working to stamp out a fake GoFundMe account which is circulating online, asking for donations, which they said they had nothing to do with.
Instagram declined to say what time the image of Devins’ body was removed.
After news broke on social media of Devins’ killing, users flooded both Clark and Devins’ profiles with horrific comments about her death.
They used the hashtag ‘#RIPBianca’ and re-posted the gruesome image.
Others urged people to stop circulating the images, which had also appeared in online chat sites including 4chan and Discord, of which Clark is thought to be a frequent user.
Twitter users criticized social media sites including Instagram for not taking the content down for hours
Many people were able to share the graphic picture before it was put behind a filter and then deleted
Internet star Bianca struck up a relationship with Clark when the pair met on the internet, over two months ago.
Bianca was known online as an ‘e-girl’ and had built up a large following on her two Instagram accounts, @escty and @beegtfo.
She also frequented gaming website Discord and image board 4chan.
The pair initially communicated over Instagram before meeting in person and developing a more intimate relationship and becoming acquainted with each others families.
The pair drove to a concert in Queens, New York City, arriving back in Utica early Sunday and went to a spot on a dead-end street, according to the police statement.
There, they argued until Clark allegedly used a large knife to kill the teenager.
Brandon Andrew Clark known as @yesjuliet on Instagram had his page disabled
Brandon Andrew Clark, 21, of Cicero, is said to have then written he was ‘sorry’ after Bianca Devins was found dead outside her car in Utica on Sunday morning. Utica police told BuzzFeed News Clark posted to Instagram Stories even as he was being held at gunpoint by officers
Clark then proceeded to post graphic photos of the deceased female to his Instagram account.
The online posts prompted numerous calls to a nearby county’s dispatch at 7:20 a.m. on Sunday where someone reported that Clark said he had killed his girlfriend and was threatening to harm himself, police say.
Officers were trying to find the teen when Clark called 9-1-1 himself to report what he’d done, Utica’s public safety department said in a statement.
Police arrived at the scene on Sunday morning to find Clark lying on the ground beside a black SUV.
When the officer approached, he began to stab himself in the neck with a knife.
The officer requested emergency medical care as Clark then laid himself across a green tarp that was on the ground.
When asked about where the female was located, Clark told the officer that she was beneath the tarp.
Clark then pulled out a cell phone and took photos of himself laying across the deceased female.
Utica police told BuzzFeed News Clark kept posting to Instagram Stories while he was being held at gunpoint by officers.
The case is being investigated as a murder and attempted suicide, Utica police Lt. Bryan Coromato said, and Clark was being held on a second-degree murder charge.
Clark is reported to have changed his the bio for his Instagram account to: ’10/06/1997 – 7/14/19. Just know that I feel no pain now.’ He is also thought to have posted an Instagram story with the caption: ‘Here comes Hell. It’s redemption, right?’
Police believe Clark left this message on the ground, according to local reports
A woman thought to be Bianca’s sister, Liv Devins, called Clark a ‘close family friend who we trusted so much’.
Clark is reported to have changed his bio for his Instagram account to: ’10/06/1997 – 7/14/19. Just know that I feel no pain now.’
He is later thought to have posted a Instagram story with the caption: ‘Here comes Hell. It’s redemption, right?’
And police believe Clark left a message on the ground with spray paint which read: ‘May you never forget me.’
Thousands have offered tweeted their condolences at the teenagers death, using the hashtag #RipBianca. The incident has prompted some to speak out about the dangers of women meeting men online.
The social media influencer’s sister Liv Devins paid tribute to her sister, center, with this image
A disturbing image is said to have been shared of Bianca showing her dead. The picture is said to have been online for more than 12 hours until Instagram removed it
In a statement released on Monday, Devins’ family described her as a talented artist and wonderful young girl who was excited about starting college.
‘She is now looking down on us, as she joins her cat, Belle, in heaven,’ the statement reads.
‘Bianca’s smile brightened our lives. She will always be remembered as our Princess.
‘Your prayers help to strengthen us through this difficult time.’
The blogger’s sister Liv paid tribute to her sister, writing: ‘I hate that I have to write this. I hate knowing you’re not going to ever come back home.
‘You were the best sister anyone could’ve ever asked for. Thank you for always being there for me. Thank you for being the best sister I could ever imagine.
‘Thank you for always protecting me and sticking up for me. I am going to do this for you. Every day I’m going to do my best and I’m going to get through this thing called life and do it all for you. Rest easy, I love you so much forever and always.’
A man with the user name @jamesward2017, who claimed to be Clark’s brother, posted to Instagram to say he and his family had been targeted in the wake of Bianca’s death.
He said: ‘Shoutout to all the people who target someone’s family and blame them for a persons decisions.
‘Nothing better than waking up at 4am to find out your brother killed someone and tried to kill himself, and when you’re trying to understand and comprehend how the person you looked up to, and taught you so much is responsible for such a horrible act, and people proceed to go out and blame you for what he did.
‘So here I am stationed in Alaska for military service wanting nothing more than to wake up and be back home hoping this is some sick twisted nightmare, instead I’m all the way across the country.
‘I’m deeply sorry something like this came from my family and my heart goes out for the family of the victim, but think about when his little sister and brothers find out what a disgusting thing he’s done, and get blamed for it. They’re kids.’