Multiple metro Atlanta agencies investigating video of 'potential abuse' of girl
ATLANTA - Multiple agencies across the metro Atlanta area are concerned about the safety of a child in widely shared videos.
The three clips, which range from six to nearly 15 minutes long, have been seen thousands of times on social media and appear to show a man sitting on a young girl’s chest, pinning her wrists to the ground and yelling obscenities at her for running away and other behavior.
FOX5’s Alex Whittler did some digging and investigators said it's not yet clear where the incident could’ve taken place.
The video has people all over the country worried about the girl’s safety, including several FOX 5 viewers who reached out with tips, suggesting the possible abuse took place in metro Atlanta.
"The original call, from what I heard, came from Ohio," Jackson County Sheriff Janis Mangum said.
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Authorities in Clayton, Henry, and Jackson counties said they've all received tips about this possible abuse of a child.
Clayton County authorities confirmed there is at least one active report in connection to the case filed with the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services.
Clayton County police told FOX 5 that DFCS assisted them at a home believed to be that of the person who posted the video on September 6.
FOX 5 is not mentioning the names listed in the report, as there are several ongoing investigations, and authorities have yet to confirm the man in the video is the man listed in their file.
When Clayton County police arrived at the home believed to belong to the man, they found the family no longer lived at the address.
"There’s no telling where these Instagram videos have been seen but the important thing to me is, I was to make sure that the child is safe," Sheriff Mangum said.
Sheriff Mangum said the homeowner in the Clayton County report once lived in Jackson County, but the landlord at that address said the family moved from the location.
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The sheriff also said the people in the video appear to be in a garage. The home listed in the report did not have one.
Sheriff Mangum said anyone who knows for certain where this incident took place could be the breaking point in this case.
"If they have firsthand knowledge of it then they need to tell the authorities," she said. "Even if it didn’t occur here in Jackson County, we make every effort to make sure this child is safe in whatever county she’s in."
Direct messages to the user about the videos and has yet to get a response.
Clayton County police did not immediately provide the full copy of the DFCS report.