The Federal Bureau of Investigation is seeking the help of any citizen who may recognize a man they call John Doe 45. In a release to the media on Tuesday, the FBI shared pieces of footage from an alleged video of child pornography. The images captured from this video show a white male, brown facial hair and brown receding hairline and while the photographs are only partial, the FBI is hopeful that there are enough recognizable features to make an identification and arrest. According to the FBI John Doe 45 may have critical information pertaining to the identity of a child victim in an ongoing sexual exploitation investigation.
Initial video of the unidentified male, John Doe 45, shown with a child were first recorded by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in June 2020. The EXIF data embedded within the video files indicated that the files were produced between January 2019 and April 2019. John Doe 45 is described as a White male with brown hair, a brown moustache, and a brown beard. 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.
Anyone with information to provide should submit a tip online at https://tips.fbi.gov/, or call the FBI’s toll-free tip line at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324). The public is reminded no charges have been filed in this case and the pictured individual is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
The final photo is a potential location.
Even if you do not recognize John Doe 45 you can help spread this image to someone who might recognize John Doe 45. 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 and Exploited Children. Operation Rescue Me focuses on utilizing 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.
