Reports of online child sexual abuse imagery are growing exponentially, according to new data reviewed by the I-Team.
In 1998, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received about 3,000 reports.
In 2018, NCMEC received 18.4 million reports containing 45 million images.
Police in charge of fighting it are struggling to keep up.
"If it happened to me it could happen to other kids," Alicia Kozakiewicz said.
When she was 13-years-old, she was groomed, lured, and abducted by an internet predator, Scott Tyree, who is still in prison for the crime.
"He kidnapped me and held me captive in his basement dungeon and he was going to kill me," Kozakiewicz said.
Her disappearance set off a massive, four-day nationwide search while Tyree kept her chained to the floor at his home in Virginia.
"He had been live streaming what he was doing to me online. They turned on the computer and there I was on the screen with my hands bound above my head, crying, bleeding, begging," Kozakiewicz said.
Alicia Kozakiewicz
In 2008, she testified in Congress in support of legislation intended to prevent cyber crimes against children and the increasing amount of photos and videos of child abuse.
"In between the beatings and the raping he will hang you by your arms," Kozakiewicz said. "Support the children, save us from pedophiles, the pornographers, the monsters."
The bill passed in the House and the Senate, but since then, the I-Team finds the problem has only gotten worse.
"It's a lot easier for offenders to find kids. Technology is providing an opportunity for offenders to save more content, share more content," NCMEC Exploited Child Division Executive Director Lindsey Olsen said.
New research published by Google, NCMEC and Thorn says the creation and distribution of child sexual abuse imagery is at a breaking point, exceeding the capabilities of law enforcement to take action.
"These are children, these are babies who are being brutalized and tortured on film for other people to enjoy it," Kozakiewicz said.
Companies like Facebook, Google, Twitter and Dropbox are legally required to report images of child sexual abuse on their platforms.
Since Congress passed the PROTECT law in 2008, reports have increased exponentially from 100,000 a year to more than 18 million.
"We're certainly seeing a drastic increase as well," Maine Computer Crimes Unit Commanding Officer Lt. Scott Ireland said.
The unit is one of 61 task forces nationwide trying to keep up.
"I don't think most people have any idea just how big a problem it is," Ireland said.
Numbers reviewed by the I-Team show last year this unit investigated 505 reports of child sexual abuse imagery, and already this year, they've seen about 900 cases.
The unit has made dozens of arrests this year, including a former top-ranking school official in Bangor and a Skowhegan babysitter. Both men are accused of possessing sexually explicit material of children.
"If we don't bring a case to fruition today these kids are still being victimized," Ireland said.
Despite a proliferation of abuse reports, federal funding for units like this one is flat.
In fact, numbers we obtained from the Department of Justice show funding is consistently less than half of the $60 million a year authorized by the PROTECT law in 2008.
"It certainly makes it tougher. It would help us put more people on the ground doing investigations," Ireland said.
The author of the 2008 law, Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (D-Florida), recently sent a letter to the DOJ.
"This program has been underfunded and under supported, due to the lack of prioritization from the DOJ ... Meaning it has failed to make preventing and rescuing children from internet crimes a priority," Wasserman-Schultz said.
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) was a co-sponsor of the 2008 legislation.
"As a senior member of the Appropriations Committee, I strongly support increasing resources to identify and prosecute the perpetrators of these heinous acts and to prevent children from becoming victims," Collins said.
We reached out to the DOJ for a response to the letter, but we didn't hear back.
"We have to fund these task forces this is happening, there are predators out there," Kozakiewicz said.
Right now Kozakiewicz is going state by state, working with PROTECT, trying to pass Alicia's Law to provide a dedicated stream of state funding.
The law is on the books in 12 states, but not yet in Maine.
However, the Maine legislature recently approved money to hire four more people in the Computer Crimes Unit.
The Thanksgiving holiday does not get a lot of attention over child safety matters, especially compared to holidays like Christmas or the Fourth of July. Yet turkey day does come with a few significant safety hazards that could spoil your family's fun. Here are some tips that will help ensure you have a happy and safe thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving safety risks:
1. On Thanksgiving day there is an increase in child accidents of all types, particularly poisoning.
2. Thanksgiving presents an increased risk of fire dangers and burns from cooking.
3. There is the potential for food poisoning
4. Drunk driving deaths spike around the Thanksgiving holiday.
Keeping children and family safe on Thanksgiving day:
1. Focus on child supervision. The biggest threat to kids on Thanksgiving day is that you often get a combination of visiting family members (which means preoccupied adults) and children who are left to their own devices, frequently in the strange and new environment of a relative’s home. Add to this mix the hustle and bustle of adults preparing extravagant meals, and you get a recipe for accidents. So don't let supervision lapse on Thanksgiving day. If possible, assign a particular set of adults to monitor the children. This ensures others don't presume that someone else is watching them, only to have it turn out that everybody thought someone else was watching them. Also employ older kids to help monitor the younger ones, and make sure they know what safety risks to watch out for. (Read them our safety book for kids: What Bigger Kids Can Do)
2. Child poisonings tend to spike on Thanksgiving, since relatives tend to be visiting or children are staying over at a relatives house, where childproofing is often lax. Medication carried in purses or suitcases is often a source. So if you have relatives over, ask them at the door if they have any medication with them, and store it in a locked cabinet. If visiting a relatives house, ask them where any poisonous items are kept so that you can steer your children away.
3. A hidden source of danger on Thanksgiving comes from those who cook their turkey by deep frying it. Every year, firefighters respond to several thousand house fires caused by families deep-frying their turkey. So if you decide to cook your turkey this way, do so safely: Do it outside whenever possible, and have a grease-fire rated fire extinguisher on hand to put out a fire should one start. (Remember that water will make a grease fire bigger, not put it out)
4. Monitor the drinking of all your guests, and do not let anyone get behind the wheel while intoxicated. Keep alcoholic beverages in a separate area from kids drinks, so that kids don't accidentally grab the wrong one.
How to safely cook a holiday Turkey
To ensure that your Thanksgiving feast does not turn into a nightmare of regret a few days later, follow these simple steps for safely cooking your holiday turkey:
1. The safest way to thaw your turkey is in the refrigerator. Putting it in a sink with cold water can give any bacteria that may exist a chance to grow. Give your turkey plenty of time to thaw - frozen turkeys are a common source of food borne illness, since they may result in uneven cooking that leaves raw spots where bacteria can survive.
2. Cooking the turkey thoroughly is the only way to destroy potentially harmful bacteria. The oven should be set to a minimum temperature of 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Simmering a turkey overnight at lower temperatures may result in food-borne illness.
3. You should cook a whole turkey to the point that a food thermometer registers at least 180 degrees Fahrenheit in the innermost part of the thigh. Don't rely solely on a "pop-up" temperature indicator that came with the turkey. Double check it with a food thermometer in several places.
4. If cooking a stuffed turkey, check the temperature of both the stuffing and the turkey. Remember that the raw juices of the turkey have leached into the stuffing, making it a potential source of food poisoning, too. So check the temperature of the stuffing and don't remove the turkey from the oven until the stuffing reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Or simply cook the stuffing in a separate casserole tray, which is safest.
5. When it's time to pack up the leftovers, de-bone the turkey and separate it from the stuffing. Refrigerate them both in shallow containers. The safe storage time on leftover turkey kept in the fridge is around 4 days. Beyond that, you're taking your chances with it.
(CNN/NBC) – Police have released video showing the rescue of an 8-year-old Fort Worth, Texas girl who was kidnapped in broad daylight.
The man who kidnapped the child, 51-year-old Michael Webb, was sentenced to life in federal prison last week.
According to evidence presented at trial, Webb grabbed the little girl as she and her mother were walking down a neighborhood street.
Web admitted to authorities that he fought off the girl’s mother and drove the child to a hotel room where he held her captive.
A family friend spotted Webb’s Ford sedan and called 911.
The video shows the tense moments heavily armed officers found her and took Webb into custody.
“My hope is that this family and this community will find solace in knowing that he will never be able to harm another little child again,” said US attorney Nealy Cox.
Toronto Police Service Detective Constable Lisa Belanger (L) and Inspector Joanna Beaven-Desjardins of the Toronto Police Service Sex Crimes Unit (R) announce hundreds of arrests in a global child exploitation investigation Project Spade on Nov. 14. at a press conference at Toronto Police Headquarters.Toronto Police via EPAE
By Daniella Silva, NBC News
Nearly 400 children have been rescued and 348 adults arrested following an expansive and “extraordinary” international child pornography investigation, Canadian police announced Thursday.
The three-year project, named Project Spade, began when undercover officers with the Toronto Police Service Child Exploitation service made contact with a Toronto man allegedly sharing “very graphic images” of child sexual abuse in Oct. 2010, Toronto Police Service Chief William Blair said at a press conference on Thursday.
Police said their investigation revealed an entire child movie production and distribution company in Toronto operating via the web site azovfilms.com.
The site was run by 42-year old Brian Way, according to police, and sold and distributed images of child exploitation to people across the world.
Inspector Joanna Beaven-Desjardins, head of Toronto’s Sex Crimes Unit, said they enlisted the help of the United States Postal Inspection Service since many of the videos were being exported to the U.S. and began a joint investigation.
After a seven-month long investigation, officers executed search warrants across the city of Toronto including at the business, located in the city’s West End.
Investigators catalogued hundreds of thousands of images and videos of “horrific sexual acts against very young children, some of the worst they have ever viewed,” Inspector Beaven-Desjardins said at the press conference.
Police seized over 45 terabytes of data from the $4-million business that distributed to over 50 counties including Australia, Spain, Mexico, Sweden and Greece.
As a result of the investigation thus far, 50 people were arrested in Ontario, 58 in the rest of Canada, 76 in the United States, and 164 internationally.
What was most alarming, Inspector Beaven-Desjardins said, was that many of the arrests were of people who worked with or closely interacted with children.
Among those arrested were 40 school teachers, nine doctors and nurses, six law enforcement personnel, nine pastors and priests and three foster parents, she said.
Citing a particularly egregious example, she said police found over 350,000 images and over 9,000 videos of child sexual abuse in the home of a retired Canadian school teacher. Some of the images were of children known to the man and he was also charged with sexually abusing a child relative.
The inspector said an indispensable aspect to the success of the operation and the rescue of 386 children from child exploitation was the expansive cooperation between Toronto police and organizations worldwide.
“[This] confirms that when we work together regardless of the borders that divide us we can successfully take down those who not only prey on our most vulnerable but also profit from it,” she said.
Police said the children were "rescued from child exploitation" but did not give more details.
Way was charged with 24 counts, including possession of, distribution of, and importing and exporting child pornography.
The investigation is ongoing and more arrests could be made, police said.
Chronister said detectives focused on websites and forums known for soliciting sex, as well as strip clubs, massage parlors, and motels. Female detectives posed as prostitutes and male detectives posed as Johns.
TAMPA, Fla. - Authorities with the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office arrested 104 during the second part of a monthslong operation to curb human trafficking.
During a press conference Monday, Sheriff Chad Chronister said 76 of the arrests were men who wanted to purchase sex and 28 were women who engaged in the sex trade.
Chronister said counselors were sent to speak to them in jail to “break this cycle and choose another way of life.”
“As dysfunctional as this type of behavior is…they know the individuals trafficking them are the only people they can depend on as far as feeding that addiction," he explained.
The first part of the sting resulted in 85 arrests earlier this year.
Chronister said detectives focused on websites and forums known for soliciting sex, as well as strip clubs, massage parlors, and motels. Female detectives posed as prostitutes and male detectives posed as Johns.
“Like any business, the human trafficking industry boils down to supply and demand," the sheriff explained. "People who profit from trafficking women and children, along with those who pay to engage in this awful trade, must always be held accountable."
Sheriff Chronister said among the most disturbing arrests were 36-year-old Jason Fitzgerald and 29-year-old Luis Colon. An undercover detective posed as the stepfather of a 14-year-old girl and arranged a time for the two suspects to perform sex acts on the fictitious child, Chronister said.
The sheriff said the acts they requested to do are "so repulsive, that I won't even begin to describe them."
Fitzgerald and Colon allegedly showed up at a trailer park in North Tampa. They began negotiating a price for sex with the child, and when they were told they could take their pick, having sex with a 14-year-old girl or a 13-year-old girl inside one of the trailers, they jumped at the chance to be with the even younger girl, explained Sheriff Chronister.
"Predators like this do not belong on the streets of Hillsborough County."
— Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister
Both were arrested on human trafficking charges.
Another suspect, 29-year-old Steven Cook, met with detectives on July 3, the sheriff recounted. Cook, who is a Latin King gang member, allegedly brought two women to have sex at a motel. One woman was in pain from a medical issue, but Cook was forcing her to have sex, Chronister explained. He was arrested on a human trafficking charge.
Booking image for Steven Cook
Chronister said this crackdown does not end here.
His office plans a large and coordinated response against human trafficking ahead of major events in Tampa, including WrestleMania and the Super Bowl. Law enforcement officials said they see a dramatic rise whenever large events – particularly sporting events – pop up in different cities.
“It goes back to that supply and demand. That demand goes up. A high number of people travel to the area," Sheriff Chronister added. “It’s never consensual. It’s a sure way to land yourself in jail in this county.”
Below is a video snippet from the undercover operation on November 5. The sting took place at a hotel in the area of Anderson Road and West Waters Avenue.
How does a child vanish from a playground in the middle of the day without a trace?
That question has consumed a South Jersey community since September, when 5-year-old Dulce Maria Alavez was reported missing from a Bridgeton park during a family outing.
Experts say cases like this one are rare, but caution that it could take months or even years to get answers.
Nov. 16 will mark two months since Dulce disappeared and investigators vow they won’t stop searching for the kindergartner whose smiling face has appeared around the internet, on highway billboards in North Jersey and fliers distributed throughout the Cumberland County area.
‘Probably somebody took her’
Dulce’s mom, Noema Alavez Perez, took her kids to Bridgeton City Park a little after 4 p.m. Sept. 16.
Alavez Perez, 19, said she remained in the car with her 8-year-old sister to do homework while Dulce and her 3-year-old brother ran to the nearby playground.
When the mom and sister couldn’t see the young kids at the playground, located about 30 yards away, they walked over to investigate and found the 3-year-old in tears. Dulce was nowhere to be found.
In a 911 call she placed from the park that day, Alavez Perez says the child may have been abducted. “We were here at the park and people said that somebody … probably somebody took her,” she tells a dispatcher.
Her disappearance sparked multiple searches in the sprawling park and surrounding communities. An Amber Alert was issued and the FBI soon joined local and state police in the effort to locate the child. A reward for information in the case stands at $52,000.
The area near the playground became the scene of press conferences and vigils as the community rallied to find Dulce. A makeshift shrine was erected along a baseball field backstop with photos, candles and posters pleading for her return.
“We’re still worried because we don’t know nothing about Dulce still,” Alavez Perez said this week. “We’re trying to get more help. We just want to find her as soon as possible.”
The mom has a message for her daughter. “Our family misses her and we’re going to find her,” she said.
Dulce’s family plans a vigil this Saturday to mark two months since the disappearance.
Dulce Maria Alavez was reported missing on Sept. 16.
‘We don’t give up hope’
This isn’t a cold case, Cumberland County Prosecutor Jennifer Webb-McRae said.
“It’s still an active investigation,” she said Tuesday. “We’re reviewing everything and pursuing all leads. We’re encouraging the public to still send in any information.”
She praised investigators working the case.
“Their stamina has not abated in any way. They’re still pursuing it as vigorously as they did on day one.”
Officers have scoured acres of parkland, woods, waterways and vacant buildings around Bridgeton, and have checked on the whereabouts of registered sex offenders living throughout South Jersey.
There are no security cameras located in the playground area, though police have harvested videos from businesses, schools, vehicles and private properties around Bridgeton as part of the search.
“We don’t give up hope,” said Robert Lowery, vice president overseeing the missing children division with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. “We’ve seen cases where the circumstances were dire and we’ve seen the children come back home safe after long periods of time, and we’re hopeful this will be the case with Dulce.”
The center was involved with the case from the beginning, he said, offering its resources and sending representatives to assist on the ground in Bridgeton.
The investigation will continue “no matter how long it takes,” Lowery stressed.
The Amber Alert was issued Sept. 17 after a witness, later described as a child, reported seeing a man ushering the child into a vehicle at the park. While the alert suggests the man abducted the girl, investigators later described him as someone they just wish to speak with.
The man is described as light-skinned, possibly Hispanic, roughly 5 feet 6 inches tall with a thin build, no facial hair and facial acne. He was wearing orange sneakers, red pants and a black shirt. The vehicle is described as a red van with tinted windows and a sliding door.
Investigators later released a sketch of a man they want to interview. They didn’t call him a suspect or a person of interest, but a potential witness. He was reported to be at the park with one or two children under the age of 5 around the time Dulce went missing.
He is described as Hispanic, about 5 feet 7 inches tall, with a slender build and about 30 to 35 years old. He wore a white T-shirt, blue jeans and a white baseball-style cap, authorities said.
Investigators have refused to speculate on whether Dulce was abducted by a stranger or a relative, though they have noted that her family has remained cooperative. Dulce’s mother confirmed that police have checked her cellphone several times.
Phil McAuliffe For The Times of Trenton
Dulce Maria Alavez's mother Noema Alavez Perez and her 3-year-old son Manuel at the Bridgeton City Park on Sunday morning, Oct 27, 2019 for the latest search for Dulce, who was abducted from park on Sept. 16, 2019.
‘Needle in a haystack’
The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children assisted law enforcement in more than 25,000 missing children cases last year. Of those, 92 percent were “endangered” runaways, 4 percent were family abductions and less than 1 percent were non-family abductions. The remaining cases were classified as critically missing young adults, ages 18 to 20, and “lost, injured or otherwise missing” kids.
Lowery estimates there are 30 to 40 stranger abduction cases a year nationwide.
Cases like Dulce’s are unusual, he acknowledged.
“The circumstances are rare, but unfortunately it does happen from time to time,” he said. “These are proverbial needle-in-a-haystack types of cases when law enforcement is contacted.”
Lowery noted that these investigations can be lengthy.
“There are cases that do take months and even years. Our hope is to find her any day now,” he said. “We can tell you that today we are doing a much better job in total of finding children than ever before in our history.”
Technology has been the game-changer in bringing kids home, he said.
Social media allows investigators to rapidly share photos of missing kids and distribute Amber Alerts. Cellphones allow parents to quickly find their kids before the police are even contacted. Cameras on street corners and in our smartphones help act as a deterrent to criminal behavior.
When the national center launched in 1984, 60-65 percent of missing kids were returned home. Today, that figure is 98-99 percent, Lowery said.
Joe Warner | For NJ Advance Media
Authorities in Bridgeton City Park during one of the several searches for the missing girl.
‘They have to be relentless’
Investigators won’t let up when it comes to a case like this, said Joseph A. Pollini, a professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. He retired as a lieutenant commander from the New York City Police Department after 33 years and investigated more than 400 kidnapping cases.
“The main thing with the police department is they have to be relentless,” Pollini said. “All cases are solvable as long as you put in the manpower to do it.”
Since this involves a missing child, “they’re not going to take that lightly,” he observed.
Officers do feel an extra drive to crack this case, Bridgeton Police Chief Michael Gaimari said.
“Cops are humans,” he said. “We all have kids. We can sympathize with how we would feel if it happened to one of our family members.”
As for what they tell families in these kinds of cases, they try to be as reassuring as possible.
“We tell them there’s always hope that the child will be found alive and not to lose that hope,” Gaimari said. “We’re optimistic that we’re going to find the child alive.”
The case remains his department’s biggest priority, he said.
“It’s still on the top burner and it will remain on that top burner until we develop that information crucial to the case.”
When the search for Dulce began, area residents saw police helicopters scanning the landscape, teams of officers on foot and FBI officials handing out information and interviewing park visitors.
Two months later, the public may not see visible signs of an investigation, but plenty is still going on behind the scenes, Lowery said.
“We are still getting information and tips and I think most everyone wants to help,” he said. “Typically in cases like this, someone has a piece of information that can unlock this mystery.”
Officials have urged residents to think about anyone they know who shows sudden behavioral changes — such as leaving town unexpectedly, changing their appearance, discarding a vehicle or clothing, or increased alcohol or drug use — that could indicate involvement.
“They may display anxiety, nervousness or irritability," Webb-McRae said in September. “They may withdraw from their normal activities.”
If Dulce was abducted by a stranger, it could be someone who is a regular at the park, knows the area and isn’t viewed as a suspicious character, Lowery suggested.
“Someone you may have known that you wouldn’t think would do something like this,” he said. “You never know what someone’s thinking or what’s in their heart.”
When it comes to cooperation from witnesses, authorities have repeatedly tried to assure undocumented immigrants who may know something about Dulce’s disappearance that investigators are not interested in anyone’s immigration status.
Alavez Perez reported in September that her boyfriend, who is not the child’s father, was briefly detained by immigration officials after he was questioned about Dulce. That episode probably didn’t encourage cooperation.
Gaimari said his department is planning additional outreach efforts in the community.
“We still believe there are people out there that have information that would be critical to the investigation,” he said,
As for the reward being offered, it’s available to anyone, including undocumented immigrants, Gaimari confirmed.
While experts often speak about the importance of the first hours in an investigation, witnesses sometimes wait to speak up, Pollini said.
“Lots of times when a case is new, people are reluctant to come forward out of fear of retaliation,” he said, adding that, with time, they may feel more confident. “Sometimes people feel time works against them and sometimes it works to their advantage.”
Dulce’s mother has repeatedly asked the public for help, while fending off criticism of her parenting and accusations that she was possibly involved in the disappearance.
Authorities acknowledged that they have to look at family members as possible suspects when investigating a missing persons case, but have described Dulce’s family as cooperative. Investigators have also been in touch with Dulce’s father, who lives in Mexico.
Speaking at an October press conference, Gaimari said no one is cleared as a suspect until Dulce is located
Police will always investigate family members in cases like these, Pollini said, because they have to consider all options.
“It’s virtually impossible to discount anybody until the case is solved,” he said.
Tim Hawk | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Camila Alavez Perez, 8, the aunt of Dulce Marie Alavez, holds a sign during a press conference at Bridgeton City Park on Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2019.
‘I don’t know what else to do’
Jackie Rodriguez, who has served as a spokeswoman for Dulce’s family, describe them as anxious and depressed as the days pass with no news.
Dulce’s grandmother, Norma Perez Alavez, has custody of her daughter’s two kids and Alavez Perez lives in an apartment near her parents. She is expecting her third child.
“They’re still hurting. They’re still worried about their little girl,” Rodriguez said.
She recalled asking Dulce’s grandmother how she was doing.
“I can’t tell you how I feel,” she answered. “I am not doing good because I don’t have my baby Dulce Maria here. I don’t know what else to do. I don’t know where else to go. I don’t have the funds to hire anybody to help us.”
Rodriguez has tried to assure her that help is available.
The Klaas Kids Foundation, which provides search and rescue services in missing children cases, has pledged to assist the family, Rodriguez said.
The foundation was formed by the family of Polly Hannah Klaas, a California 12-year-old who was kidnapped from a slumber party and found murdered in 1993.
Rodriguez has led community searches for Dulce and door-to-door flier distributions.
She wants to keep the flier distribution going because of something she learned from the last effort. Many people in the area, including those who don’t watch the news and aren’t on social media, weren’t even aware that a child in their community was missing, she said.
She has also launched Operation Dulce, which is an effort to recruit additional volunteers to help lead the project. Learn more about that by going to the Facebook group Rodriguez launched to share information about Dulce.
Rodriguez hopes the community will remain positive.
“Never give up,” she said. “It can take time. It can take years to find someone, but let’s just keep the hope to find her.”
The vigil this Saturday, Nov. 16, will start at 5 p.m. outside of a home at 1740 South Burlington Road in Upper Deerfield Township.
Dulce is approximately 3-feet, 5-inches tall, with brown eyes and brown hair. She was last seen wearing a yellow shirt with a picture of an elephant, black and white pants and white shoes.
Anyone with information is asked to call the New Jersey State Police Missing Persons Unit at 609-882-2000, ext. 2554, or the Bridgeton police at 856-451-0033. Tips may also be phoned in to 1-800-CALL-FBI and select option 4, then select option 8.
Anonymous tips may be sent by text to TIP411 with “Bridgeton” in the message line.
