A 25-year-old man, who was arrested in Dallas, Texas, had allegedly communicated online with a Windsor girl and demanded sexually explicit photos.

Windsor police officers say they are warning the public because there is the potential for more young victims to exist.

In October of 2016, Windsor police started an investigation involving an online sexual predator.

A mother and her 12-year-old daughter reported that in September of 2016 the child began communicating online with an unknown person via an instant messaging mobile application.

Investigation revealed that the offender utilized a tactic that law enforcement has encountered throughout North America on numerous occasions.

The alleged victim believed she was corresponding with another female peer. Police say the accused enticed the victim into "proving" she was a female by sending photos of herself in various stages of undress.

Soon after, police say the alleged offender demanded more sexually explicit photos, coupled with the threat that they would publish the already obtained photos on the internet if the victim did not comply.

The alleged victim complied with the threats, but eventually disclosed the matter to her family, who notified police.

Investigators from our Internet Child Exploitation Unit continued the investigation.

Investigators applied for and were granted judicial authorization to get information regarding the source of the communication from the involved messenger organization. 

In March of 2017, I.C.E. investigators determined that the suspect had contacted the Windsor victim in September of 2016 from Texas.

The case was then forwarded to a United States law enforcement agency for further investigation.

In early November of 2017, the United States Homeland Security Investigations, an investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security, informed Windsor police I.C.E. investigators that a suspect had been identified and arrested in regards to this matter.

The 25-year-old male suspect was arrested and remains in custody.

Police say the investigation remains active both in Windsor and the U.S.

Officers say the case serves as a tremendous reminder of the dangers that can be associated with online interactions with an unknown person.

Online safety tips are also available at: https://www.cybertip.ca/app/en/internet_safety