FBI seeks person with possible connection to child sexual exploitation case

The FBI's San Francisco office is asking for public assistance in finding a man who may have critical information about a child victim of sexual exploitation.

The FBI said Wednesday that the man only known as "John Doe 47" was first recorded on video with a child in August 2020 by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). The video's data indicated that its files were produced before April 2020, federal agents said.

The man is described as a black male, likely between the ages of 18 and 25 years old. The FBI said he could be heard speaking English in the video. Further details about the man and the child were not immediately available.

According to the FBI, no charges have been filed in this case and the man being sought is presumed innocent "unless and until proven guilty in a court of law." Federal agents said they are looking for him as part of the "Operation Rescue Me" and "Endangered Child Alert Program" joint initiatives between the FBI and the NCMEC.

Those with relevant information are urged to submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov or call the FBI's toll-free tip line at (800) 225-5324.