FBI search for suspected child predator “John Doe 44” leads to arrest of now ex Mississippi police sergeant
Published 4:01 pm Friday, July 16, 2021
An FBI search for an unidentified child predator called “John Doe 44” has led to the arrest of a Mississippi police sergeant who was fired after being arrested Wednesday.
Serving the Picayune Police Department before being fired Wednesday, Joshua Stockstill, 29, was arrested on child exploitation charges.
According to the Biloxi Sun Herald, the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office confirmed Stockstill was charged with four counts of distribution, one count of lustful touching, and one count of production.
On Wednesday, the FBI announced they were seeking the public’s help in trying to identify and locate a man seen with a child in a video. The video which reportedly featured an unidentified male known as “John Doe 44” and an unidentified child was recorded by National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Data embedded in the video showed that the video was produced prior to November 2018.
By Thursday morning, the FBI reported that they had made an arrest in the case.
According to the FBI, this investigation was part of Operation Rescue Me and Endangered Child Alert Program, known as ECAP. The program focuses on using clues obtained through in-depth image analysis to identify child victims depicted in child exploitation material. ECAP then works to bring exposure to unidentified adults who visibly display their faces or other identifiable characteristics in child pornography images.