Megan Hanlon

This case study examines separate investigations by HSI's Child Exploitation Investigation Unit (CEIU), Victim Identification Program (VIP) and the Boone County Sheriff's Office Cyber Crimes Task Force (Missouri) that led to the successful identification and safeguarding of a child victim in previously unidentified child sexual abuse material (CSAM). While one agency collaborated with C3P to re-examine the cold case-leveraging new C3P tools and investigative resources, innovation that was pivotal in uncovering new leads-a separate but parallel investigation pursued in another jurisdiction, following a report of suspected child exploitation on X. The investigations exposed ongoing risk to the child and enabled the swift identification of the victim, the arrest of the suspect, and helped disrupt the abuse before it escalated-protecting the child from further harm and preventing any known physical sexual abuse.

The case study draws on dark web activity, digital forensic evidence, and police interviews to explore key elements such as online surveillance and suspect identification, as well as the role of open source intelligence and technology in enhancing an investigation. It also highlights challenges of policing in digital environments and aims to identify best practices to better inform future investigative strategies and collaborative efforts.

The case demonstrates the power of modern tools and interagency collaboration to advance investigations and improve outcomes for vulnerable children, especially in time-sensitive, high-risk scenarios. It also underscores the importance of innovative methods and international partnerships to help support victim identification and combat child exploitation and abuse globally.