I am still in shock that the Innocent Lives Foundation has been around for 8 years! I never thought it would turn into what it is today, with close to 600 cases accepted by law enforcement around the world.

With that said, multiple challenges, including the economic challenges, both federally and locally, have had a dramatic effect on the non-profit world, and the ILF is no exception. Due to a decrease in donations, we had to lay off all our employees and transition to a volunteer-only organization. As hard as this was, it was heartwarming to see the way our volunteers have stood up and stepped in. We are still running, just with more blood, sweat, and tears.

The problem has only gotten worse. We need your help. Here are some statistics you need to be aware of:

• AI-Generated CSAM surged by 1,325% in 2024
• Online grooming of our kids increased by 192% at the same time
• Violent online groups, those interested in pain, sadism, and self-harm toward children, increased by 200%
• There were 62.9 million files, 33.1 million videos, and 28 million images reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children

I am asking you to dig deep and think of circles you are in, friends you have, and people you know that may have the means to donate. Our mission is to locate and stop predators from being able to harm our kids, and we need your support to accomplish it. Take a look at the Fund-A-Case page on our site and see if you know anyone who would be interested in helping out.

In the last couple of years, we started expanding our mission. In addition to locating predators and educating caregivers and parents, we started training courses for Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) agents. Dr. Abbie Maroño, retired Secret Service agent Brad Beeler, and I have developed training to help law enforcement agents improve their interview techniques. And we have successfully taught this to agents across the United States.

I would like to thank all our supporters, amazing volunteers, ambassadors, and our truly remarkable board of directors for their tireless efforts and continued dedication to enhancing our mission. Some days, when it feels like all of this is a losing battle, I remind myself of the stories we get from law enforcement when our reports lead to an arrest. Every year, there are increases in these crimes, and when an agency calls just to say “thank you” for the work we do, or when a federal agent tells us how our training made them better at catching the predators, it shows we’re making a difference. When I ponder those things, I begin to feel pride and a deep sense of accomplishment.

As we approach our 8-year anniversary, let’s celebrate 8 full years of making a difference in this world, 8 years of giving children everywhere a chance to live innocent lives. Help us to continue our mission by donating now.

Thank you,
Chris Hadnagy

On what seemed like any other day, Jennifer (23), began receiving explicit text messages and phone calls asking for nudes. Confused but a busy young adult, she went to work and spent the day trying to figure out where this could be coming from.  What happened that led to the sudden flood of harassing calls and creepy messages?

The answer eluded her – until she figured out someone hacked into her old SnapChat account.  Old photos and videos were accessed, some of which were explicit.  The images were from years ago, when she was maybe 14 or 15 years old, which made everything worse.  Not only did these malicious people steal her intimate content, but they posted it online including her name, phone number, and online usernames.

As the harassment continued and overwhelmed her, Jennifer tried to talk to law enforcement, but learned there was little they could do to help.  Understandably upset, she didn’t know what else to do. She heard about the Innocent Lives Foundation (ILF), and reached out for help.  Once we were in touch with her, the ILF jumped into action. One of our agents scoured the internet to find every site containing her images and helped write up a DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) request to have them removed. These were all considered CSAM (Child Sexual Abuse Materials) and the requests warned that the sites would be reported within 24 hours.

All but one website responded to the requests and took the images down.  The remaining site contained a lot of illegal content, so we reported them to the Department of Homeland Security, who took up the case. 

Our agent didn’t stop there though.  He reached out directly to one of the harassers and asked where he found the images.  Convinced to help during those discussions, the harasser sent our agent an invite to a private discord channel.  There, the CSAM materials were being given away to members. With that access acquired, we brought in federal law enforcement to take over and start a formal case. 

With the images taken down and federal law enforcement involved, we reached back out to update Jennifer.  She is an amazing and strong young woman who made it to the other side of this terrible situation, and let us know her thoughts about the Innocent Lives Foundation: “If it were not for you, I would be living in shame and embarrassment. Your hard work, your trustworthiness, and your judgment-free treatment of me gave me the strength to fight. Thank you.”

Through Lilly’s adventures, children learn about trust, personal boundaries, and the importance of open communication with adults they trust. Each story teaches the importance of making safe choices, from handling secrets to navigating online friendships. Lilly the Brave Lion entertains while providing a child-friendly foundation for discussions on safety and respect.

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