USA TODAY International Edition
Suspected gang rape streams live on Facebook
15- year- old victim’s mother tells police
Police on Tuesday said they are searching for five to six men suspected of sexually assaulting a 15- year- old girl in an attack that was streamed on Facebook Live.
The girl, who had been missing since Sunday, was found by Chicago detectives Tuesday — the day after the girl’s mother approached Superintendent Eddie Johnson as he was leaving a news conference and showed him screen grabs of the attack, according to police.
The video, which has been removed from Facebook, was viewed by dozens of people, but no one called authorities.
“The superintendent was visibly upset when he saw the pictures of the girl and was dismayed when he learned that people were watching the incident live and no one called police,” police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said.
Facebook declined to respond to specific questions about the incident, including whether the alleged assault was flagged by any Facebook users. The company says it reviews questionable content around the clock that is reported by users.
Guglielmi said investigators were “making good progress identifying persons of interest.”