We have long held that it is unrealistic, and perhaps disingenuous, to have a discussion about modern law enforcement and investigative matters without talking about police overreach.

Some cops have gone too far at times, and that fact should concern all of us.

That said, this business about defunding the police that made headlines a year or two ago was little more than partisan hyperbole. Put another way, when crimes are committed, people are hurt or worse, we need law enforcement — period.

Such was the circumstance in a heartbreaking case in 2022 involving a Marquette teenager, who took his own life after being a victim of financial sextortion.

For the uninitiated, sextortion happens online when someone is duped into sending revealing photos of themselves, only to have the receiver demand money to keep it confidential.

Social media is often the vehicle in this ugly scam.

That’s what happened to 17-year-old Jordan DeMay, a Marquette Senior High School student, in March 2022.

The Marquette County Sheriff’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation launched an investigation, which untimately included the authorities in Nigeria, of all places. An indictment in Jordan’s death was unsealed on Wednesday.

Three Nigerian men have been arrested and extradiction proceedings are ongoing. The grand jury alleges the defendants engaged in this extortion and attempted extortion of more than 100 people.

Most people, indeed many in the news business, thought it was a very long shot that anyone would be held to account in this case — especially if the perpetrators were overseas.

Undaunted, law enforcement went after it big time.

Jordan’s parents, Jennifer Buta and John DeMay who have been out front since the beginning, hoping to head off similar tragedies before they happen, said, “As parents, we cannot begin to imagine what Jordan went through that night and how scared he was because of this senseless act. When we were informed that Jordan was potentially a victim of an internet scam called sextortion via Instagram, there was never a hesitation in our minds to share his story. We wanted everyone to be aware about sextortion and have those tough conversations with their families, so if it did happen to them they knew to talk to someone.”

They also thanked law enforcement for their positive efforts. So do we.

The police, including Marquette County Sheriff Greg Zyburt and his department, the FBI, the Michigan State Police, the Marquette Township Fire Department, Marquette City Police, the United States Attorney’s Office and the Department of Justice as well as the Nigerian government and its law enforcement are heroes and must be recognized as such.

This was old-fashioned police work with a high-tech accent. We look forward to these defendants being brought to the bar of justice.