Girl Killed in Sleep by Electrocution from Her Earphones While Phone was Charging: Facts

Warning: Graphic pictures in this article.

Story: 

SHOCKING: Girl Died in Her Sleep by Her Earphones while Her Mobile Device is Charging!

Other Versions

1. Girl Killed in her Sleep from Wearing Earbuds while iPhone was Charging.

2. Girl Killed in Sleep by Wearing Headphones while Phone was Charging!

3. A Girl was Brutally Killed by Her Earphones While Sleeping.

Fact Check:

A story coming with few disturbing pictures claims to show that a girl died brutally in sleep due to electrocution from her earphones while her mobile phone was charging. The story that came as a warning to mobile phone users not to use them while charging soon went viral on social media and generated serious concerns. But thankfully, the story depicted with the pictures is not a fact.

About the ‘Incident’

In early July 2015, the story in question appeared in an article on website newswatch33.com, according to which the girl, said to be 19 years old Gabrielle Samuels from Houston, Texas, was killed in sleep while she was listening to music from her iPhone that was charging. Soon the picture(s) and story went viral via social networking websites. But the fact of the matter being, News Watch 33, like noted in their disclaimer, publishes satirical stories along with true events with a ‘shock factor’.

About the Pictures

A first look at the photographs of the female, around her ears and face, gives us an impression that she might have in fact used earphones. But a close look at them reveals that it is actually blood flowing out from her ears; not earphones. A reverse image search of the photograph(s) in question on tineye.com suggests that they are not new and have been shared online since at least 2010. And more importantly, as suggested in couple of web sources like porjati.net and issoebizarro.com (graphic pictures inside), the female seen in the photographs had died of an overdose of medication, although her actual identity and reasons behind death are not known.

So it is certain that the female seen in the disturbing photographs did not die of electrocution from her earphones while she has fallen sleep listening to music from her charging phone. Unfortunately, disturbing and sensitive pictures like these are sometimes used to fabricate hoax stories on internet. Earlier, there came this story of a small girl who is said to have died of electric shock from mobile phone charger. Having said that, as a matter of safety, it is certainly advised not to use phone while charging; the precautions have been discussed in detail in one of our related articles here.

Hoax or Fact:

Hoax.