The Com: Online, Sadistic and Deadly - A deep dive into 764 network that preyed on vulnerable children

Sky News' documentary, The Com: Online, Sadistic and Deadly, follows the investigation into a highly dangerous, global network that abuses and manipulates young people to commit crimes and encourages others to do so. The story is narrated through the survivors, journalists, parents, and law enforcement investigators.

The Com: Online, Sadistic and Deadly further makes the parents aware of The Com or 764, a global online platform that targets young, vulnerable people, often destroying their lives. The documentary is available to stream on YouTube and Sky News' website.

Here's more about The Com: Online, Sadistic and Deadly.

The Com: Online, Sadistic and Deadly - What is the 764 network?

The Com or the 764 is a sadistic grooming network that targets vulnerable individuals online. Often, they threaten the victims and extort them. According to The Guardian, the 764 was founded by a Texas teenager, Bradley Cadenhead. Cadenhead is currently serving an 80-year prison sentence in the US for possession of child sexual abuse materials.

The Com or the 764 has become one of the most dangerous threats to young people globally. They are engaged in a limitless variety of criminality. Young children are the ones who are mostly targeted. The predators manipulate and assign illegal tasks to the children, which often include crime, self-harm, and extortion. The victims are often asked to record their criminal activity.

According to The Com: Online, Sadistic and Deadly, The Com uses gaming platforms such as Roblox and Minecraft, and social media platforms such as Discord to groom victims and coerce them into committing crimes. The predators or perpetrators usually gain the victims' trust through friendship or romantic interests. They manipulate the victims and blackmail them. The authorities describe this as modern-day terrorism.

The Com: Online, Sadistic and Deadly shows the psychological toll on the victims and their families. Even though the investigation to track down the network is ongoing at a global scale, it is important to make parents aware that they must monitor their children's online activities.

The Com: Online, Sadistic and Deadly begins with the Staffordshire Police in action after they receive a referral from the National Crime Agency. It turns out that a predator has contacted young girls in an online space and has forced them into committing harrowing acts. The officer called the case disturbing and harrowing and added that the predator operated in what they call the com network.

In The Com: Online, Sadistic and Deadly, she states that the com network is such that the predators function in an online space and actively seek out young children to exploit them. The officer explains that where one might think they are safe in the confines of their bedroom, the reality is quite different. The predator, McKenzie Winkle, was responsible for coercing 12 victims. The Staffordshire Police arrested McKenzie from his home.

The Com: Online, Sadistic and Deadly - More about the 764

According to a report by The Guardian, the 764 network is just a part of a growing online space that pushes young, vulnerable children into criminal acts. Most importantly, it has perpetrators and victims in several countries.

For instance, in late 2024, a 14-year-old boy brutally stabbed a man three times in a quiet suburb of Stockholm. It was later found out that the boy was connected to the 764 network. Later, a Swedish court said that the teenager was too young to be held criminally responsible for the act. Later during the investigation, they found out about an online username called Chai.

In 2025, an Australian girl also contacted the Swedish police to report Chai. They eventually found out that Chai was a teenager who was convicted in 2024 for trying to force a 13-year-old boy to commit su***de. The teenager was on trial for 70 alleged offences. Chai was apparently of high status within the 764 network and was invited to a suspicious chatroom called 764 Inferno.

Upon further investigation, it was found that two men in their early 20s, Leonidas Varagiannis and Prasan Nepal, were part of the chatroom for core 764 members. They are accused of using 764 Inferno as a platform to create and distribute disturbing child sexual abuse content. At least 295 arrests have been made linked to this network from all across the world.

Trending

Stream The Com: Online, Sadistic and Deadly on Sky News' official YouTube channel.

Follow SoapCentral for more such updates.

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback