North Sanpete High student dies following auto-pedestrian accident

MT. PLEASANT—A North Sanpete High School student died Tuesday from injuries he sustained in an auto-pedestrian accident last Friday May 1 on 700 South in front of the school.

The victim was Dixon “D.J.” Farley. Details about the accident, the boy’s injuries and where he had been hospitalized could not be confirmed at press time.

In an email Monday, the day before the boy died, the district said it counselors would be available to help students and staff cope with the case. Assumedly, those services will be extended now that death has occurred.

The most unusual and dramatic aspect of the tragedy was how fast false reports spread in emails issued by the school district and through social media. It appeared local people seeking information about the boy’s status became targets for online scammers.

North Sanpete High School sent an email to parents and guardians Sunday morning saying Dixon had died from his injuries. Later Sunday, Superintendent O’Dee Hansen sent a correction and apology to staff and families.

“We want to apologize for the misinformation that has been shared,” Hansen wrote. “Dixon (DJ) Farley continues to receive medical care, and we will update you as the family requests it.”

The Sanpete Messenger has not independently confirmed where the initial incorrect information about the death originated. A source close to the issue said the district received inaccurate information before the first email went out.

As the incorrect reports spread, posts about Dixon also appeared on social media from websites presenting themselves as news or obituary pages. Several of those links used Dixon’s name, the school district name and crash information to draw readers to unfamiliar websites. Some posts used generic police-light images and claimed he had died.

The Messenger scanned multiple of these websites and found malicious code that appears to be intended to extract credentials and personal information.

The posts on the questionable websites followed a common pattern used in online scam campaigns: a recent tragedy, a victim’s name, emotional wording and a link to a website that looks like a news article but is not connected to a known local news organization, school district, police agency, funeral home or family source.

Residents should avoid clicking unfamiliar links claiming to have updates about Dixon, especially links posted by accounts or pages with no clear local connection.

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission says phishing scams often use fake links to get people to enter personal information, while the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) warns that the fake links can infect devices. The goal of cybercriminals is often to steal sensitive personal information.

“Read our paper if you’re not sure who to trust for news,” said Messenger publisher Suzanne Dean.

Anyone who clicked on one of the suspicious links should avoid entering any personal information, close the page, watch for unusual account activity and change passwords for any account information entered on the site.

While misinformation and scam links continued to circulate, school and community members also began sharing support for Dixon. Social media posts asked students and others to wear blue to school Monday to honor him.

Hansen’s email apologizing for the initial inaccurate report invited the community to wear blue outfits and mismatched socks “as a symbol of support and unity.”

The district said a free Beatles concert by School of Rock would be dedicated to Dixon on Friday, with his first cousin, John Oldroyd, scheduled to play for him. After the death was announced Tuesday night, it was unclear whether the concert would go forward.