Passenger’s Disturbing Text Message Leads to Interstate Child Exploitation Bust

Soon after a fellow traveler spied text messages on a seat mate’s mobile device that included comments concerning child sexual abuse, authorities made arrests in multiple jurisdictions.

A nosy passenger who read a text message over the shoulder of a nearby seat mate may have helped to save children living hundreds of miles away from a life of sexual abuse. The good samaritan on a flight from Seattle–Tacoma International Airport (SEA) to John Wayne Airport (SNA) on Monday reportedly took notice of the messages because of the unusually large font size on the male passenger’s oversized mobile phone which made the worrying comments about child rape extraordinarily easy to read – even from a distance.

According to Seattle NBC affiliate KING-TV, the suspicious passenger contacted police about the graphic text messages as soon as the flight landed. Authorities in San Jose, CA seized the man’s phone and soon detained and interrogated the suspected abuser.

The investigation was turned over to an Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC). Investigators were able to track the second person taking part in the perverse text conversation – identifying a woman at an address in Tacoma, WA. When ICAC agents in Washington State learned that the suspect in Tacoma had access to small children, she was quickly taken into custody as well.

According to authorities, the woman who lives with her ex-husband and three young children was questioned while a search warrant was served on the residence. It is not clear if anyone else at the home is considered a subject of the multi-state law enforcement investigation.

The criminal probe is described as ongoing. The King County Prosecutor’s Office confirmed to NBC News that local law enforcement in three jurisdictions are consulting with federal authorities to determine if the cases will be handed over to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

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