Child pornography circulating on Facebook messenger

Law enforcement throughout the country are investigating a recent string of Facebook messages containing inappropriate images of an adult with a child. The message asks people to help find the offender in the images.

"You can't control what comes into your inbox, but you can control what you do with it." says the Brazos County District Attorney Jarvis Parsons.

Parsons warns that if this message comes across your screen, you really shouldn't share the images.

"They are hard to trace because they get shared so many times," says Parsons. "This person is particularly sneaky whoever is doing this because they are putting it in a way that people are concerned and want to help."

If you do share the images on social media, the possible penalties can be harsh.

"If you are sending it to your friends that could be considered promoting child pornography," says Parsons. "That's a second degree felony up to twenty years in prison."

Parsons says you should alert the people that can actually make a difference.

"Contact facebook, twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, any one of those places and let them know this is coming in through messenger," says Parsons. "They can then work with law enforcement and you can shut those places down."

To take it a step further, you can contact the National Center for Exploited Children and provide them with any information.