MURRAY -- There was something about her eyes that pleaded toSteve Gamvroulas for help.
On his computer screen was a teenage girl, being sexuallyexploited in pictures shared and traded over the Internet amongchild pornographers, victimized and re-victimized over and overagain. He had no idea who she was, where she lived, or if she waseven OK.
"It was difficult knowing she was a child," said Gamvroulas, whois an investigator with the Utah Internet Crimes Against ChildrenTask Force. "The positive part is I was able to reach cross-countryand help her."
As part of his work with ICAC, Gamvroulas tries to identifychildren who are in explicit videos and images traded online. Inthis case, he stumbled upon the girl's images when he busted a SaltLake County man suspected of collecting child pornography.
"I was able to take over an account of a picture-trading fileprogram," he said. "I was able to find his buddy lists, and peoplebegan sending me all sorts of child pornography."
Soon, someone sent him a series of 42 pictures of the girl. Shedidn't exactly look like a child, but Gamvroulas said it was in hereyes.
"It just seemed to me, and it bothered me that she was a child,"he said.
Analyzing the images, Gamvroulas was able to narrow down whereshe lived. In one of the more innocent photos, she sports a NewEngland Patriots football jersey. In another, she wears acheerleader uniform.
Gamvroulas was able to contact police in a small Massachusettstown, who tracked the girl down. She has been questioned by policeand identified as a 15-year-old girl who may have been victimizedbeginning when she was 12.
"It was her boyfriend at the time," Gamvroulas said of the mansuspected of taking the pictures.
He is now being sought in connection with the illicit images.Gamvroulas suspects they were not originally intended to bedistributed as child pornography but took on a life of their ownonce posted online.
Who distributed the photos remains under investigation, ICACagents said. The images have been traded countless times in childpornography circles.
Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff said the girl will no longerbe victimized, thanks to Gamvroulas and the rest of the ICAC TaskForce.
"They look at horrible things, just the ugliest side of life. Youand I never have to," he said. "They do it because they want to savekids."
E-mail: bwinslow@desnews.com
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