After Going Dark, Cooper Noriega’s Friends Tried Tracking His Last Location. Moments Later, They Got a Phone Call He Was Dead (Exclusive)
After Going Dark, Cooper Noriega’s Friends Tried Tracking His Last Location. Moments Later, They Got a Phone Call He Was Dead (Exclusive)
Tabitha ParentMon, June 1, 2026 at 2:00 PM UTC
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Cooper Noriega and a friend.
Credit: Cooper Noriega/Instagram; Investigation Discovery
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After TikToker Cooper Noriega's location went dark and he stopped responding to his texts, his friends and family went searching for him
Noriega was pronounced dead at 19 on June 9, 2022, after his body was found in a Burbank, Calif., parking lot
PEOPLE can exclusively reveal a clip from the season 2 premiere of Deadly Influence: The Social Media Murders, which sees Noriega's friends recount the moment they learned of the influencer's death, which was later revealed to have been a result of an accidental drug overdose
On the day that influencer Cooper Noriega was pronounced dead, his friends and family went looking for him, following his last seen location from his Find My Friends.In an exclusive clip from the first episode of Deadly Influence: The Social Media Murdersseason 2, Cooper's friends and family — including his sister Parker Noriega — recount the moment that they realized something was deeply wrong with Cooper.Noriega, who was 19 when he died in 2022 of an accidental drug overdose (later revealed to have been caused by the combined effects of fentanyl, lorazepam, which is used to treat anxiety, and alprazolam, also known as Xanax), was a TikTok star who was friends with popular creators like Nessa Barrett and often documented the Los Angeles lifestyle behind viral content house parties and collaborations between influencers.
Parker Noriega in Investigation Discovery's 'Deadly Influencer.'
Credit: Investigation Discovery
In the clip, Parker recalled texting her brother on the morning she learned of his death."Because I knew he was struggling so much. I would wake up and be like, 'Hi, I love you. What are you doing today?' like every single day. And so that morning, I texted him saying like, 'Dad's bday tomorrow.'"Parker remembered Cooper responding affirmatively, before she asked if they should get a present for their dad. Cooper replied, asking Parker to find something for him. When Parker asked what they should buy him, Cooper did not reply."And that was the day," she said.
Sevryn, an influencer and one of Cooper's friends, and Landon, a childhood friend of Cooper, both recounted odd messages and calls that they received from Cooper in the hours leading up to his death.Los Angeles-based creative director Hunter Moreno, one of Cooper's other friends, recalled waking up with a "really bad feeling" on the morning of Cooper's death. He reached out to friends, asking if they had heard from Cooper at all. Hunter texted Parker and told her he was going to go look for Cooper and asked if she wanted to come along. Together, the two tracked his location, which had been in the same spot for a few hours, Parker recalled.
Landon, one of Cooper Noriega's childhood friends.
Credit: Investigation Discovery
As the pair sped to find Cooper, they received a call from Treva Noriega, his mother. "She just screamed," Hunter said in the clip. "It's like something you'd hear out of a movie. I've never heard that noise come out of a person's body before. It was everything a mom could like possibly feel."The premiere of Deadly Influence: The Social Media Murders, titled "Waiting for the Darkness," airs Monday, June 1, at 9 p.m. and will follow the moments leading up to the young social media star's death.
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Shortly before his death, Noriega posted a video on TikTok, where he now has over 3 million followers, with the caption, "Who else b thinking they gon die young af."
Four days earlier, Noriega announced on social media that he was creating a Discord server dedicated to discussing mental health, which he invited his followers to join.
"If you're really into getting your emotions out, or whatever, come join," he said in a TikTok video. "I created [the server] because of how much I love you guys and how much I struggle with it myself."Investigation Discovery's Deadly Influence returns this summer to highlight how social media success can also be a breeding ground for deception and violence. Episodes will be available to stream on HBO Max.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
