This is either a very sick joke, or something far more sinister.
Police and residents in a quiet neighborhood in Tempe, Arizona recently were shocked and appalled to find mysterious envelopes in their mailboxes over the weekend that were stuffed with black and white pornographic images of children.
The envelopes had not been mailed and were addressed simply “neighbor.” Police collected at least nine envelopes according to ABC 15 Arizona, that all seemed to be uniform in content and appearance.
The images came with a note that indicated if the recipient liked what they saw, they were invited to a birthday party at a local address. Police say that the man who lived at that address had no idea what it was about, but was also unable to disclose further details of the investigation.
Residents who received the images were disgusted.
“I’m a little sickened to my stomach; having something like that frightens me,” said James, who did not give his last name. “I have a job, I have a life — I don’t like this in my home.”
“It’s either kids being jerks and making a prank on somebody and doesn’t realize how bad the consequences are going to be,” another resident, who declined to give her name, pondered. “Or, there is really sick people near this neighborhood and that doesn’t make me feel safe.”
The consequences of distributing or possessing such material are severe, as Tempe police spokesperson Sgt. Ron Elcock said in a statement,
explaining that doing so constitute sexual exploitation of a minor, the legal term for such a crime.
“It is our recommendation to immediately delete whatever images they may have as they are considered contraband, and therefore are illegal to possess and/or distribute,” he said.
He also said that while the images were known to police officers and that there was no indication there may be a child in imminent danger, that someone may have created these images to warn local residents.
There is no suggestion this could be tied to the address contained in the letters.
What could be going on here? It certainly is quite bizarre and mysterious. Surely the person who passed out the envelopes would have known it was criminal to do so, and that police would visit the address contained within.
There might not be any indication at this point that specific children are being exploited in connection to this case so far, but there are still hundreds, if not thousands, of children who are each and every year, right under our noses.
Hopefully, if this case can lead to the apprehension of anyone directly or indirectly involved in the exploitation of children it will.
