(WSVN) - As we all know, misinformation spreads quickly on social media these days. And for one South Florida teenager, it’s personal. 7’s Brian Entin explains in our special report, “Dead Wrong.”
Teala Dunn: “What’s up guys? So today is a new day, and I currently have no makeup on.”
This is social media star Teala Dunn.
Teala Dunn: “Back at it again with the up close and personal shots by yours truly, Teala Dunn.”
She is all over the internet.
Teala Dunn: “Go over and subscribe. I’m having a huge giveaway on my main channels.”
More than two and a half million YouTube subscribers, nearly two million Instagram followers and another million plus on Twitter.
Danielle Wolfrey: “I didn’t know anything about her except that she was famous.”
Fourteen-year-old Danielle Wolfrey took this picture with Teala at a beauty conference.
The Oakland Park teen and her mom had no idea. Two years later, this picture would lead to friends thinking she was dead.
Danielle Wolfrey: “My phone was blowing up with notifications. I was like, ‘What is going on?’ Everyone was like, ‘Are you dead? Are you dead?'”
In one of Teala’s YouTube videos posted in December…
Teala Dunn: “I just got news or word that one of my supporters has passed away.”
Teala shows the picture of her and Danielle.
Teala Dunn: “So I met her at BeautyCon L.A. last year in 2015.”
And tells the online world she died.
Teala Dunn: “I don’t know why or how she died, but most people are saying that she got bullied in school really badly, and it pushed her over the edge. I don’t know if that is 100 percent true.”
It was 100 percent not true.
Danielle Wolfrey: “I just want her to know that I’m alive and someone else could have actually committed suicide.”
Danielle says she tried over and over again to contact Teala on social media and doesn’t even know how she got her picture.
Friends also posted messages, like this: “I personally know Danielle and she is not dead.”
But no response.
Danielle Wolfrey: “I commented on her Twitter, and then I direct messaged her on Instagram, and then my mom had a Facebook account and tried to DM her on there.”
Teala Dunn lives in California. We sent her Facebook and Instagram messages, finally getting a “What’s up?” response on Twitter, but when we asked about the video, she never replied.
Josephine Wolfrey, Danielle’s mom: “I think a person with a million hits, or a person even with 20,000 hits, if they are going to put information out there, it should be accurate information.”
Danielle and her mom don’t understand how the mix-up happened.
Danielle Wolfrey: “I was just really confused and kind of upset about it.”
But what makes them the most upset is, the video is still online.
Teala Dunn: “It saddens me because I don’t know why or how she died.”
And getting more views every day.
Josephine Wolfrey: “If she somehow gets the message, we just want her to just take down the YouTube post. And just tell everyone that she is alive.”
Danielle is not dead. A simple message, this mom and daughter are hoping will finally get through.
And just today, it appears the the message did get through. The YouTube video was taken down.
But still no explanation from Teala on just how this happened.
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