Emojis are supposed to be harmless tiny pictures of faces, hearts, and animals. But what if they’re used to hide deadly intentions?

In this Episode of Text Me When You’re Dead, we tell the story of Kayla Nguyen, a 23-year-old barista who began receiving strange emoji-only messages from a secret admirer. She thought it was a joke until the messages predicted where she’d be, and then she vanished.

This fictionalized composite case, based on real-world digital forensics, reveals how investigators decoded the symbols, tied them to a stalking suspect, and exposed a murder plot. It’s a chilling look at how even the most innocent icons can become evidence.