Selma, TX — A PayPal profile photo helped investigators identify a 21-year-old man accused of online solicitation of a 13-year-old girl after sexually explicit messages were discovered on the teenager’s phone, according to an arrest affidavit.
Sean Jude Joseph Jr., 21, was arrested and charged with online solicitation of a minor under 14 years old.
According to the affidavit, Selma police responded to a home July 3 after the girl’s mother discovered sexually explicit Instagram messages allegedly exchanged between her daughter and a suspect from June 14 through June 26.
The mother told investigators that most of the suspect’s messages had been deleted before officers arrived, although she had seen some of them beforehand. Investigators were also told the suspect attempted to contact the mother through Telegram using a phone number.
Police later obtained Instagram subscriber information through a grand jury subpoena. According to the affidavit, information provided by Instagram’s parent company included a phone number and email address associated with the account. The phone number matched the one allegedly used to contact the mother.
Investigators traced the number to a relative of Joseph in Missouri City, where Joseph also resides.
PayPal Account Helps Identify Suspect
According to the affidavit, the mother entered the phone number into PayPal and located an account under the name “Sean Joseph” that included a profile photo. Her daughter identified the person pictured as the individual with whom she had been communicating.
Investigators also noted that the person in the PayPal photo appeared to be wearing the same necklace Joseph was wearing in his Texas driver’s license photograph, further helping investigators confirm his identity.
The teenager later provided investigators with additional information about her interactions with Joseph during a forensic interview, according to the affidavit.
Joseph is accused of the offense and is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.