An arrest has finally been made nearly four years after a teenage boy in Ohio killed himself when he was cruelly targeted by an online sextortionist.

James Woods, 17, died by suicide on November 19, 2022, after an online predator convinced the teen track star to share compromising photos of himself before demanding thousands of dollars. 

Woods believed he had been exchanging photos with a 19-year-old girl on Instagram, but an arrest made years after his death saw a 23-year-old man accused of the horrific crime.

'They found James' murderer y'all,' the teen's mother, Tamia Woods, said on Saturday night at a 'Do it for James' gala to honor her son, Cleveland 19 reported. 

'When we heard it, we instantly had a smile on our face,' father, Tim Woods, told WKYC. 'Our hearts got warm; it felt like a weight was lifted off our shoulders and it was a lot of tears.'

The unnamed suspect was arrested in the Ivory Coast along the Gulf of Guinea in West Africa and remains in custody there charged in connection to the extortion scheme that killed Woods. 

'[Investigators] said we found the person who's responsible for James' death and he was arrested,' Tamia told the outlet. 

'[The investigator] sat Tim and I down [and] showed us a picture, and I just broke down and cried.'

Tamia and her husband had abandoned hope of discovering the person who targeted their son, as law enforcement warned that, because it occurred overseas, it would be difficult to prosecute. 

'I still don't know how to process that because he is a child himself, and he ruined his life, and he ruined my child's life,' Tamia added. 

She told WKYC: 'It still doesn't bring our child back. Even though the news is wonderful news and someone is now held accountable for what they did to our son, we still have a missing piece.' 

The teenager's family said Woods had sent a video of himself before his phone was flooded with 200 messages in less than 20 hours demanding money or else they would release the photos. 

'It ranged anywhere from "I own you," to "you need to take your own life,"' James' mother told CBS News at the time.  

Woods reportedly sent the sextortionists $100, but the threats did not stop and he died by suicide the next day.

'The most horrible phone call I've received, that my only child, my blessing... is no longer here,' said Tamia.

'You know, he was my only child, and so I have to live through my memories, and that's all I have now, are memories.' 

Streetsboro Police Chief Tricia Wain told Cleveland 19 that it gives her 'chills' to know the Woods family is 'finally getting some type of justice.'

Meanwhile, the Statewide Commander for the Ohio Internet Crimes Against Children, David Frattare, told the outlet: 'I’ve been involved in Internet Crimes Against Children investigations for 22 years, and I will say it’s probably one of the proudest moments for me, most satisfying moments for me to be able to go in there and deliver some good news to a family that has suffered so much.'

He further told WKYC that he didn't know if he 'ever expected this announcement.'

'I would love to see this individual extradited to the United States. I know that's probably not possible in this case because the Ivorian government has already indicated to us several times that they will not extradite Ivorian citizens,' he added. 

'I think the other message is that there is hope for survivors of sextortion. Parents who've lost a loved one to sextortion, we can find these individuals, and there are thousands of dedicated law enforcement officers and prosecutors working tirelessly to bring some sort of justice for these crimes.'

Woods' parents started the Do It For James Foundation to honor their son's legacy, spread awareness on the risks of sextortion and encourage children to speak out.

Following the arrest, they told Cleveland 19 they plan to continue to raise awareness. 

'It really put me into a higher gear to make sure that we continue to do it for James. We continue to do social media awareness, sextortion awareness, suicide awareness, all of that to make sure that we keep our children another day,' Tamia said. 

According to the FBI, sextortion is a financially motivated crime that involves an offender coercing a minor to create sexually explicit material, then threatening to release it unless they receive payment.

The predators are typically from outside of the United States, primarily West African countries such as Nigeria and Ivory Coast, as well as Southeast Asian countries like the Philippines. 

If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.