Teen reportedly injected crushed butterfly into his veins for social media challenge, dies after 7 agonizing days in hospital 

A 14-year-old teen boy died after reportedly injecting himself with a crushed butterfly, as per a New York Post report dated February 18, 2025. The teenager passed away after suffering from agonizing symptoms for seven days.

The 14-year-old named Davi Nunes Moreira, died in a hospital in Planalto, Brazil, after confessing to the hospital staff that he had injected the crushed insect into his leg as a part of an online challenge. Before he admitted to injecting himself with the insect, Moreira started vomiting and struggled with walking.

A specialist at Hospital Santa Marcelina, Luiz Fernando D. Relvas, speculated that the teenager's death could've resulted from an infection, allergic reaction, or embolism, as cited by Brazilian media. The specialist said:

“We don’t know how he prepared this mixture or the size of the fragments he managed to inject into the body. There may have been air left inside, which could lead to an embolism.”

Revlas added that a blockage in a blood vessel or an embolism can lead to sudden death. Moreover, Davi Nunes Moreira's death is also believed to be the result of possible toxins present in the mix of a dead butterfly and water, which he injected into his body, causing it to go into septic shock and shut down.

A precise cause of Moreira's death is yet to be ruled out, and the local police await full post-mortem results before declaring a reason for the teenager's demise.

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What are the symptoms of butterfly poisoning? Details explored

Certain butterflies are poisonous (Image via Getty)

According to a report by Miche Pest Control dated May 2023, several butterflies are known to have toxic characteristics and be poisonous. These insects are usually bright in color, which is a warning to potential predators against consuming them.

The pest control site dubbed butterfly poisoning as a "rare occurrence." However, it noted that in the few cases where it does happen, individuals who ingest or come in contact with the toxic components of a poisonous butterfly could experience symptoms of poisoning.

The possible effects of being poisoned by the winged insect include gastrointestinal issues like diarrhea, abdominal pain, and vomiting.

It might also result in cardiac symptoms like chest pain and irregular heartbeat. This is due to the toxic compounds found in some butterflies, like Monarch butterflies, which can impact the heart. Additionally, symptoms of butterfly poisoning feature:

• Allergic reactions: In some cases, the patient may experience hives, difficulty breathing, itching, or swelling on the skin.
• Neurological impact: Exposure to toxic compounds in some variants of the winged insect can cause confusion, weakness, dizziness, and seizures.
• Skin irritation: Letting the skin come in contact with some poisonous butterflies can result in rash, redness, and skin irritation.

Moreover, severe cases of poisoning by the insect showcase systemic effects like organ failure or damage. However, such an impact on contact with the winged insect is rare.

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According to a report by NDTV dated February 2025, butterfly specialist and director of Sao Paulo University's Zoology Museum, Marcelo Duarte, mentioned that winged insects have a complex biology. The specialist added that the fluids present in a butterfly's body haven't been studied in depth concerning their toxicity to humans.

Hence, one of the possible reasons behind the 14-year-old child's death after injecting himself with the dead insect and water remained toxins present in the insect, which resulted in a septic shock.