Federal police release nine images to help identify online child sex abuse victims
The AFP has released a tranche of images to help identify victims of online child sex offences. (Supplied: AFP )
A series of images of what appear to be everyday items has been released by the federal police in the hope the public can help identify online child sexual exploitation victims.
Warning: The following content contains images and details that may be distressing.
Images include pink floral bed sheets, a framed red football jersey and a kitchen complete with internet modem, window blinds and coffee mugs.
The latest release, which is part of the AFP-led Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation's Trace an Object series, includes nine photos that are known to have either an Australian victim, location or offender.
The images are released in the hope the different knowledge sets, life experiences and locales of Australians might unearth useful information or insights.
Victim identification team leader Detective Sergeant Lana Carey explains.
"One of the photos from this latest Stop Child Abuse — Trace an Object release shows two framed football jerseys, so, in putting it out into the public, we're looking to spark the memory of anyone who might have come across them," Sergeant Carey said.
"Possibilities here could include a player or club member who might recognise the jersey colours or design, a framer who might remember doing the job, or a fan who might know the significance of the number 8 and 11 jerseys being grouped together.
"It's about tapping into the wisdom of everyday Australians. And we know they're eager to play a role given the previous three image releases have generated 1,372 reports and counting."
These are the images:
Sports jerseys
This image is of two sporting jerseys — one marked with the number 8 and the other with the number 11 — and the ACCCE believes there is significance in having them framed together.
It's already known they are not a commercial product; they would relate to a local football club.
Anklet
The ACCCE knows the abuse material from this series was likely produced about 2014-2015.
This means the anklet could well have been worn by a woman who's now in her early 20s, and could be recognisable to the victim, their friends or family.
Bedroom
This bedroom setting is thought to date back to circa 2015.
Contrary to expectation, its focus is not the playmat, which has already been identified.
Instead, the ACCCE is looking for people who might have seen the mat in a similar environment.
These could be builders, real estate agents or domestic cleaners, particularly anyone who might recognise the yellow-patterned carpet.
Dress
The image has been heavily sanitised, but it shows a dress.
More specifically, a dress which would appear to have been handmade or bought at a community market, as opposed to being mass-produced and sold by a common retailer.
For this reason, the ACCCE hopes dressmakers, anyone working in fabric stores or market stall holders might remember seeing clothes like this for sale.
Kitchen
At first glance, this might seem like a fairly average kitchen or kitchenette.
But the key clue could be in small details, such as a brand of tile or appliance recognised by a tiler or appliance stocker/seller, or the way it's laid out as recognised by a builder, realtor or domestic cleaner.
Bedroom
This image dates back to a Queensland bedroom in 2009 and includes a cane chair alongside the single bed frames and floral-patterned quilt covers.
It's a fairly uncommon combination, so could well trigger a memory, either for the person whose bedroom it was, or a friend or family member who remembers visiting.
Radio bedhead
This sliver of a bedroom is the oldest image in this fourth release of Stop Child Abuse – Trace an Object, with the radio bedhead thought to date back to between September 2000 and October 2002.
The team already knows a few things, including the brand of radio in this bedhead.
But not the location of the room or people connected with it, or the context of items such as the computer chair, speckled cream carpet, mattress, wall covering, carpet, lights, mirror and side tables, noting they may have changed colour or been renovated over time.
Information sources could be builders, realtors or domestic cleaners.
Owl pillow
The ACCCE knows this distinctive owl pillow is sold overseas.
What it now seeks is information about where it is, or has been, sold in Australia, given it's not handmade.
This could catch the eye of families, retail staff, interior design enthusiasts or, again, realtors or cleaners.
Fireplace
This image, estimated from circa 2017, was chosen for Stop Child Abuse Trace an Object as it showcases several distinct architectural features that may lend themselves to recognition.
These include the balustrade and fireplace, as well as the tile and parquetry flooring in front.
Sergeant Carey noted while the photos were related to cold cases, it did not mean police had reached a dead end.
"Our identification specialists never give up on a victim,"she said.
"We follow every lead and avenue we have when files first come into the ACCCE, and if we don't succeed, we will continue to visit them periodically year after year after year after year to see if new intelligence or technology might open up fresh lines of inquiry.
"It's about the never-ending hunt for closure, the commitment to saving and supporting victims and survivors and, hopefully, that bittersweet moment when you realise you've solved it."
The ACCCE received 82,764 reports of online child sexual exploitation in the 2024-2025 financial year — which equates to an average of 226 reports a day.
According to a 2024 study, there are estimated to be more than 300 million victims of online child sex abuse every year globally.
Members of the public who have information about people involved in child abuse are urged to contact the ACCCE.
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