As Police Work To Make Arrests In Child Porn Video, They Urge The Public Not To Share It

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- It's disturbing, illegal, and could show up in your inbox.

Maryland State Police says a video showing apparent child pornography is spreading across social media.

Local investigators are fighting to trace it back to the first senders.

State Police don't know where the video came from, or how long it's been circulating online, but they, along with other agencies across the country, are searching for those answers.

Click with caution, as a disturbing and illegal video showing an underage girl forced to perform a sex act on an adult man could show up in your inbox.

"It's been shared across the country, on various social media platforms, mainly through direct messaging," said Ron Snyder, with Maryland State Police.

Snyder says the video circulating on social media has gone viral, even though sharing any child pornography is against the law.

"Bottom line: delete the video, contact your social media provider, and if you have any information, contact police," he said.

Right now, cyber crimes investigators are at their keyboards trying to trace where the video originated. The challenge for police is that the video could have been filmed anywhere, at anytime.

"We don't know how old this video is," Snyder said. "It could have been shot a couple days ago, it could have been shot a couple years ago. It could have been shot in Alabama, it could have been shot in France. Who knows."

Now task forces across the country that are focused on internet crimes against children are working to find the suspect, the victim, and where the crime started.

In the meantime, investigators say don't open the video, don't share the video, and if it comes your way, just delete it.

If you have any information about the people involved in the video, State Police would like to hear from you.

Maryland Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force coordinates with police agencies throughout the state to identify those involved in child pornography.

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