Texas woman shares nude photos of 1-year-old under her care, describes sexual abuse in graphic detail on app
FORT WORTH, TEXAS: A woman has been arrested and charged after she was accused of taking and sharing several pornographic images of a toddler under her care.
Hannah Nicole Edwards, 32, first came to the attention of an undercover officer who was using a Kik Messenger application on February 6, according to a federal criminal complaint written by FBI Special Agent Christopher Thompson.
The criminal complaint states that the undercover officer was in a group described only as 'Group A' when he was contacted by someone with a screen name of 'Jessa H'.
During their subsequent conversation, 'Jessa H' reportedly described the graphic sexual abuse she had committed against two children, and then shared a file of child pornography that depicted a one-year-old boy who was not wearing any clothes.
Following an investigation, authorities identified 'Jessa H' as Edwards, and on Sunday, February 9, FBI agents armed with a search warrant went to her Fort Worth home and seized multiple items, including her iPhone.
She was then interviewed, according to the complaint, and admitted to FBI agents that she used the Kik Messenger to communicate with other users about the sexual assault of children and to receive and distribute child pornography. She also told the agents that she had sent child porn photos that she had taken to multiple users on the Kik Messenger instant-messaging app.
Edwards faces a federal charge of sexual exploitation of children in connection to the case as federal jurisdiction almost always applies when the internet is used to commit a child pornography violation.
If convicted, even a first-time offender faces a fine and statutory minimum of 5 years to 20 years maximum in prison. Previously convicted offenders face harsher penalties if they have prior convictions or if the child pornography offense occurred in aggravated situations, including the images being "violent, sadistic, or masochistic in nature."
It is unclear if Edwards is being represented by an attorney. The case is being prosecuted by the Department of Justice's Aisha Saleem. The federal complaint was obtained by Star-Telegram.