State Representative Pamela Carter announced on June 7 that House Bill 2665, known as Cade’s Law: If You See Something Say Something, has been signed into law. The legislation gives prosecutors clear authority to charge adults with manslaughter if they use targeted online messages to advise or encourage a minor to die by suicide, knowing the minor intends to do so.
Carter said, “Teen suicide is a crisis, and we cannot ignore it. Cade Keller was only 16. He loved welding and had plans to attend Mesa Community College. Then his life was cut short. Cade posted online that he planned to take his life. People saw it. No one called 911. No one got an adult. Cade died. That is the nightmare every parent fears, and it is happening to too many families. Cade’s Law makes this a crime. If you knowingly use direct messages to advise or encourage a minor to die by suicide, you will be prosecuted. If you see warning signs, do not wait. Make the call. Get help. Step in,” according to Carter.
The new law addresses what Carter described as a dangerous loophole in existing Arizona statutes, which already punished those who provide the physical means for another person’s suicide but did not cover adults who use words through direct messages or posts aimed at specific minors.
Cade’s Law applies specifically to directed communication addressed or reasonably understood as directed at the minor who dies by suicide, including content that identifies or tags the individual.
The legislation is named after 16-year-old Cade Keller of Arizona and aims to prevent similar tragedies by clarifying legal accountability for online behavior targeting minors in crisis.
Carter thanked the Keller family for their advocacy and urged parents, students, educators, and community members to act immediately when warning signs of self-harm appear among teens by calling 911 or alerting a trusted adult.
Carter was elected as a Republican representative for Arizona’s 4th House District in 2025, replacing previous state representative Laura Terech, according to Ballotpedia.
More information about this legislation can be found in the organization’s press release.
