An Instagram star was almost decapitated by her boyfriend who then posted grisly pictures of her corpse online, according to police.
"E-girl" Bianca Devins, 17, was found dead after social media users began sharing photos of her body.
Bianca's 21-year-old boyfriend, low-level Instagram influencer Brandon Andrew Clark, allegedly slit her throat and posted an image of her body along with a message reading "I'm sorry Bianca" before he stabbed himself in the neck.
Instagram, which is owned by Facebook , is now facing criticism after a report claimed the gruesome image stayed up for nearly a day and was put behind a blurred-out sensitive content filter.
Before the killing he had posted a photo of a darkened motorway with the message: “Here comes Hell. It’s redemption, right?”
He has now been charged with murder by police in Utica, New York.
The couple met on Instagram about two months ago, and their relationship had developed into a "personally intimate one", the force added.
They argued after attending a concert in New York City on Saturday night, and Clark then used a large knife to kill the teen in the early hours of Sunday morning after driving back to Utica, it is claimed.
Clark's social media followers raised the alarm after he allegedly wrote that he had killed someone and posted a photo of Bianca's corpse.
Images were posted on Instagram, the imageboard 4chan and the gaming app Discord, according to police.
The Instagram photo remained on that platform for almost 24 hours, BuzzFeed News reported.
It had been blurred with a sensitive content filter after someone reported it as offensive, but users could still view it by tapping the screen.
Clark's Instagram account wasn't disabled until Monday morning.
A Facebook spokesperson said: "Our thoughts go out to those affected by this tragic event. We are taking every measure to remove this content from our platforms.
"Our goal is to take action as soon as possible - there is always room for improvement. We don’t want people seeing content that violates our policies."
In the Discord post, Clark allegedly wrote “Sorry f***ers, you’re gonna have to find someone else to orbit”, and shared Bianca's real name and address.
Orbiting is used to describe social media users who lurk on women's pages in hopes of sleeping with them.
Bianca had about 6,000 Instagram followers when she was killed, and she was known as an "e-girl" for posts about anime, video games, and emo-adjacent fashion on that platform and others including TikTok.
Her stepmother Kaleigh condemned those who shared the gruesome photos, writing on Facebook: "It is absolutely disgusting that people are sharing, screenshoting the pictures of Bianca’s tragedic death!!
"Wtf is wrong with you people!!??
"I have seen the pictures. I will FORVER have those images in my mind when I think of her. When I close my eyes, those images haunt me.
"How about we have some f***ing consideration for her Mother, Sister, Step sisters and brother, Step Mother and Step Father, her Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, Nieces and Newphews and her friends. How about we have some f***ing consideration FOR HER!!!"
Police say they found Clark with Bianca's body, next to his vehicle, in the early hours of Sunday after he called 911 himself to say what he had done and that he was going to harm himself.
He began stabbing himself in the neck with a knife as a lone officer approached him.
Clark then lay on top of a green tarpaulin, telling the officer that Bianca's body was under it, and began taking selfies on top of her covered body as blood poured from his wounds.
After he was disarmed and arrested, Clark was taken to hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery for severe injuries.
He was expected to survive, said police.
Bianca's family have described her as a "talented artist" and "wonderful young girl" who was "taken from us all too soon".
She had graduated from high school just last month and was due to begin studying psychology at a community college this autumn.
Her family said: "We are very grateful for the outpouring of love and sympathy we have received from our friends, family, Bianca's friends and the whole community.
"Your prayers help to strengthen us through this difficult time."
Her heartbroken sister Liv posted a tribute on Instagram with a photo of the siblings and their mother.
Liv wrote: "I hate that I have to write this. I hate knowing you’re not going to ever come back home.
"You were the best sister anyone could’ve ever asked for. Thank you for always being there for me.
"Thank you for being the best sister I could ever imagine.
"Thank you for always protecting me and sticking up for me. I am going to do this for you.
"Every day I’m going to do my best and I’m going to get through this thing called life and do it all for you.
"Rest easy, I love you so much forever and always."
Family and friends held a candlelight vigil on Monday night.
They lit candles and at one point repeatedly chanted “Love, not violence”, WKTV reported.
Friend Derek Ward said of his former classmate: “She was very kind. She was very forgiving. She was one of the nicest people I’ve ever met.
"Nobody dislikes her. Nobody hated her, and I’ve never heard anything bad said about her.”
Bianca's stepmother Kaleigh added: "Bianca was a lot of things to so many people. She was young and beautiful and so full of live.
"She had been through hell and back conquering her own mental illness and she won. She was getting better. Fighting everyday.
"She was happy. She had just graduated. She wanted to continue her schooling so that she could help people, like her, whom no one else wanted to help.
"She was so loved and it breaks our hearts not knowing if she ever realized just how loved she was. Even in her deepest, darkest, lowest points, she somehow managed to help so many people who were battling their own demons."
