General · 17 February 2026
Investigator tracks abused girl using regional sofa clue
Greg Squire from the US Department of Homeland Security attempted to locate a 12-year-old girl appearing in encrypted online abuse material. After social media firms failed to assist, his unit analysed room features and discovered a sofa sold only to specific regions. This distinct piece of furniture helped the team narrow their daunting search down to 40,000 potential addresses across 29 American states.
Reported by BBC · How we write briefs