Just one year ago, federal investigators counted on web sites to help track down most wanted felons. Now, smartphone apps can immediately notify users when investigators are hunting dangerous fugitives.
Federal investigators accuse 33-year-old Jeremiah Malfroid of making homemade child pornography. Just as disturbing, no one knows where he is.
Jeremiah Malfroid
In May, investigators searched Malfroid's apartment on Jasmine Lane in Hilliard. Court records reveal detectives found hundreds of images of child pornography along with 239 images of a man sexually abusing the same young girl.
Investigators say in five of the images, you can see Malfroid's face.
“Malfroid appeared to be in some of the images. He appeared to produce some of them. This means he is possibly a hands-on offender,” says Agent Nathan Emery of Homeland Security.
Investigators say they reached Malfroid on the phone, and say he told them he was now living in California and said he left all his belongings at the apartment because he wanted to travel light.
Malfroid is now facing federal charges, accused of possessing nearly 700 sexually explicit videos of minors. He is a fugitive from the law, but investigators say they're hopeful the Operation Predator smartphone app will help track him down.
The app allows 124,000 users to receive and share alerts about wanted predators, and provide information to investigators.
Investigators like Emery say Malfroid can run but he can't hide. "There's very few places they can hide. These guys are going to be back on the internet, they're going to leave footprints, and we're going to find them
Within 36 hours of its launch last fall, Operation Predator helped investigators in Detroit find and arrest a man who was later convicted and sentenced on child pornography charges.
