Child sexual abuse material reports surging in North Dakota as investigators, prosecutors work to keep up

FARGO, N.D. (Valley News Live) - The apps on your phone, such as Instagram, Snapchat, and Discord, are now among the top sources reporting child sexual abuse material to law enforcement in North Dakota. And the number of those reports is growing at a record pace.

The North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation received 2,698 cyber tips related to child sexual abuse material in 2025. That’s more than 1,100 more tips than the year before, and a staggering increase from just 166 tips in 2016. As of March 12, 2026, investigators have received 501 tips.

“We have been seeing a pretty steady increase in recent years,” said Heather Hames, a detective with the Cass County Sheriff’s Office who investigates these cases. “I would expect that we will probably continue to see an increase as well.”

A Crisis Growing Year by Year

Cyber tips in North Dakota have climbed nearly every year for the past decade. From 166 in 2016, to 245 in 2017, to 609 in 2018. After a brief dip to 379 in 2019, reports climbed again: 585 in 2020, 726 in 2021, and 1,071 in 2022. By 2023, tips had reached 1,570, a number that held relatively steady at 1,557 in 2024 before surging to 2,698 in 2025, the largest single-year jump on record.

Hames said the dramatic rise doesn’t necessarily mean more crimes are being committed, but that platforms are getting better at detecting them.

“I think this sort of activity has been going on for a long time,” she said. “I think the increase is due more to the social media companies finding better ways to track this activity and being able to report it.”

According to the North Dakota BCI, the top companies reporting child sexual abuse material are Instagram, Snapchat, Discord, X Corp, and Google.

How Investigations Work

When a tip comes in, it goes directly to the North Dakota BCI, which oversees the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. From there, investigators triage cases and determine urgency.

“If it’s something that is more expedited and we have a child safety concern in the area, that’s going to be worked right away,” Hames said. “If it’s something where we think the activity is just occurring online, we’re maybe going to work that one a little differently, where we’re taking more time to get additional information first. So that could take several months.”

Hames said investigators work hard to ensure the evidence in these cases is airtight before bringing charges.

“Our cases, we’re able to gather a lot of information for them, and so if we’re bringing charges forward, it’s because we’re very confident that it was intentional,” she said. “It’s not something that’s accidental or something that you’re just going to stumble upon and we can usually prove that pretty easy.”

Local Cases, Real Consequences

Three recent Cass County cases illustrate how these investigations unfold — and raise questions about whether the time offenders actually serve reflects the severity of the crimes.

Patrick Rooney was already a registered sex offender on supervised probation when Reddit flagged files shared from his IP address. Investigators found over 100 files and evidence of trading images online. He entered an Alford plea to possessing child sexual abuse material and will serve a minimum of three years in prison.

Dillan Mcelveney had approximately 111 unique files on his cell phone and was sharing material through multiple messaging apps, including six different Kik accounts. He pleaded guilty to three counts, including promoting or directing an obscene sexual performance by a minor. Despite a 10-year sentence, Mcelveney will first serve 360 days in the Cass County jail.

Ivan Mercado-Massini was linked to approximately 172 files through cyber tips over several months. He pleaded guilty to one count of possession of certain materials prohibited. Despite a five-year sentence, Mercado-Massini will first serve six months in the Cass County jail.

The Sentencing Question

“These cases — there is nothing that a court can impose that will make a child victim whole again. We do the best that we can with the evidence that we have and hope that the judge will hand down a sentence that is fair and just and reflects the magnitude of the actions the person has committed.”— Kimberlee Hegvik, Cass County State’s Attorney

Cass County State’s Attorney Kimberlee Hegvik said her office takes these cases seriously, but acknowledged that every case is evaluated individually and that no two are alike.

“In these cases, there are real victims, and there are real impacts that happen to these families,” Hegvik said. “With that said, every case is unique; our evidence in some cases might be a lot stronger than in other cases.”

Hegvik said prosecutors weigh multiple factors when making sentencing recommendations, including the age of victims and the nature of the material involved.

“We look not only at the number of files but also the content of the files,” she said. “Younger victims, for example, those cases warrant a higher sentencing recommendation.”

Unlike neighboring Minnesota, North Dakota has no formal sentencing guidelines, leaving the final sentencing decision to the judge.

“My office applies the laws as the legislature has written them, and then the judge ultimately is the one who hands down the sentence,” Hegvik said.

For Hames, what happens in the courtroom is beyond her control. Her focus stays on the investigation.

“We can only really focus on the investigation and so we just work really hard to provide the best case that we can,” she said. “We can’t really control what kind of sentences they get or what that court process looks like.”

The Toll and the Reward

Investigating child sexual abuse material takes a significant emotional toll, Hames said. Detectives have no choice but to review the material, and the growing volume of cases makes the work even more demanding.

“There are good days and bad days depending on what you’re doing, what you’re having to view and what you’re working on with a particular case,” she said. “It can definitely be difficult and it’s something you have to be mindful of.”

Despite the weight of the work, Hames said the outcomes make it worth it.

“These cases are rewarding,” she said. “It’s just rewarding to be able to help children and being able to work cases that are really important.”

A National Warning

The FBI recently issued a national alert warning parents about a sharp increase in violent online networks, often referred to as “764,” that target children through gaming platforms, social media, and messaging apps, manipulating or coercing them into producing child sexual abuse material. The bureau said it is currently investigating more than 350 subjects nationwide, with all 56 FBI field offices involved.

Resources

If you suspect a child is being targeted or exploited online:

• 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or tips.fbi.gov
• FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center: ic3.gov
• National Center for Missing and Exploited Children: missingkids.org
• Take It Down: free service to help remove explicit images of minors online: takeitdown.ncmec.org

Berbagi :