Federal authorities held a press conference in Downtown Los Angeles Thursday, calling for the public's help in identifying a couple suspected of producing child pornography in the San Fernando Valley.
Authorities believe a series of widely circulated images were taken about 11 years ago. In them, the suspects are depicted molesting a girl, believed to about 13-years-old at the time. The male suspect’s face is blurred in the photos, but the female’s is clearly visible.
"We need the public's help in identifying the man and woman responsible for molesting this young girl, whose victimization has continued with the trading of these images by those who collect child pornography," said U.S. Attorney Andre Birotte Jr.
Authorities continue to pursue the case to bring the violators to justice and prevent any further or additional victimization.
“The images in this series have been identified in connection with more than 275 child pornography investigations across the country,” said Claude Arnold, Special Agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations. “The reality is, every time a photo or a video of an innocent child being sexually exploited is viewed, that victim is violated again. That is why we owe it to all of the juvenile victims in these kinds of cases to work tirelessly to seek answers and, ultimately, justice.”
Authorities release a photo of the female suspect in the case, along with a physical description.She has several tattoos, including a black tattoo on her right hip resembling a butterfly, a tattoo of a curled up cat on her right shoulder blade, a tattoo with words across the top of her left wrist and a tattoo on the upper portion of her left breast.
Anyone with information or tips can make an anonymous report to (866) DHS-2ICE or visit http://www.ice.gov/exec/forms/hsi-tips/tips.asp.
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