FBI needs help identifying man caught on video sexually abusing a child

Yesterday, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) issued a plea to the public asking for help in identifying a man who may have critical information pertaining to the identity of a child victim in an ongoing sexual exploitation investigation. The identify of this man is currently unknown; but the FBI has shared a poster of the unknown male that they have dubbed John Doe 42.

An initial video of John Doe 42, shown with a child, was first recorded by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) in August 2019.

Exchangeable image file format (EXIF) is a standard that specifies the formats for images, sound, and ancillary tags used by digital cameras, scanners and other systems handling image and sound files recorded by digital cameras. The EXIF data embedded within the John Doe 42 video files captured by the NCMEC indicated that the files were produced in October 2015.

The FBI described John Doe 42 as a white male with gray hair and wearing a red and black plaid shirt. He is heard speaking English in the video. Due to the age of the images, it is possible that the individual’s appearance may have changed over the years.

*(John Doe 42, Most Wanted Poster, Image credit: FBI)*

Most Wanted Poster for John Doe 42

Audio: ECAP Audio: Unknown Individual – John Doe 42

This individual is being sought as part of the FBI’s Operation Rescue Me and Endangered Child Alert Program (ECAP) initiatives, both of which represent strategic partnerships between the FBI and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.

Operation Rescue Me focuses on using clues obtained through in-depth image analysis to identify the child victims depicted in child exploitation material, while ECAP seeks national and international media exposure of unknown adults (referred to as John/Jane Does) who visibly display their faces and/or other distinguishing characteristics in association with child pornography images.

Submit a Tip: If you have any information concerning this case, please call the FBI’s toll-free tip-line at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324), contact a Crimes Against Children Investigator at your local FBI office, or the nearest American Embassy or Consulate.