FBI needs help ID’ing child sex abuse victim with possible Pa. ties
The FBI is asking for the public’s help in identifying two unknown men who may be able to provide details about the identity of a child sex abuse victim, images of which were first recorded in 2003 by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
Agents from the Philadelphia field office said in a news release today that one clue recovered from those images – an picture of a yellow t-shirt with the outline of a basketball and the text “New Market Basketball” – has led them to believe at least one of the men they’re searching for may have a connection to New Market, Pa.
They are also combing similarly-titled towns in Iowa, Maryland, Virginia, Ohio, North Carolina, Delaware and New Jersey, as well as New Market elementary schools in Alabama and Tennessee.
The two men, whose identities are currently unknown, are described as dark-haired white males. One is suspected to be between the ages of 25 and 35 and wears glasses, while the second man appears to be between the ages of 35 and 45.
FBI agents said the men appear to have been in contact with the victim and may know the child’s identity. No charges have yet been filed in connection with the case, and the men have not been convicted of any crime at this point.
Investigators are also asking the public to take a good look at a home with yellow siding and an above-ground swimming pool that can be seen in some of the images, which they say are still being circulated online through numerous child porn forums. If the home or its neighborhood is recognized, it may provide more clues regarding the location of the abused child.
The men are being sought as part of the FBI’s Operation “Rescue Me,” which focuses on using clues gleaned through image analysis to identify child exploitation victims, as well as the Endangered Child Alert Program, which attempts to use media exposure to identify unknown adults who appear in child pornography images.
Anyone with information is asked to contact their local FBI office, submit a tip online or to call the FBI’s toll-free tip line at 1-800-CALL-FBI.
