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I found a memory card in my niece's possession with nude photos of her best friend. What do I do now?

I have been having serious trust issues with my 17 year old niece who lives with me. I thought the card may have clues to what she did when she ran away about a month ago (I found it in the bathroom). I popped it into the reader and discovered it belonged to her 16 year old friend and there are pictures of the friend in her underwear and then naked.

I don't know what to do! Should I let her know I have it and see what kind of explanation she gives me? Should I go to the cops since it is underage photos of an unclothed girl? Talking to her mom does no good; she lied to us when the girls took off. She knew where they were and what they were doing and told us that she had no clue where my niece was.

I am at wits' end.

Asked at 5:00 PM on Nov. 20, 2008 by: Anonymous

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Answered at 1:02 AM on Nov. 26, 2008 by: Anonymous

Okay. Here is my update! I talked to my pastor to find out where to start. He said to contact CPS. I did, and once they called back they said to contact the police. I did that, and an officer showed up, took the disk, all sorts of information and had a nice, long talk with my niece. He knows her mother very well (her mom is in and out of trouble). He took the disk to the department and, get this, they couldn't pull the pictures up on their card reader!! It's a little disturbing that I have a better reader than the police. (cont.)
Answers (47)
Answered at 5:03 PM on Nov. 20, 2008 by: Anonymous

if there not pictures of your niece then i dont know what you can really do, yes you can say something to your niece but really if they arnt her then it wont do much good. as far as contacting the police i dont know what they would do really. id get rid of the disc for good though so that they dont end up all over the internet.
Answered at 5:13 PM on Nov. 20, 2008 by: Alize26

If it were me... I would confront both girls and show them all the facts. The facts about the local perverts,sexual diseases, and abduction ratings in the USA.These girls like so many think they are bullet proof. They need to know the real dangers that they are playing with here.Before it is too late.I would also explain about how drugs have a big impact on all these situations.Just my thoughts. Good luck.
Answered at 5:19 PM on Nov. 20, 2008 by: Kenzleahcah

I am not clear whether you mean talking to your niece's mom did no good, or talking to the friend's mom did no good. I would definitely say speak to the friend's mom since it's her daughter that is naked in the photos. If you meant that the friend's mom was no help, then I would suggest talking with your niece and at least trying to find out the story behind the pics. If you notify the cops, there could be big trouble. Pics of underage girls naked are still illegal, no matter if they are in the possession of another underage girl or not. (At least, that is what I've been told). Sorry I am not more help!!
Answered at 5:19 PM on Nov. 20, 2008 by: Anonymous

When they came back after their little "road trip", we sat them down and told them all the dangers, graphically. My family has a background in law enforcement. My husband, mom and brother all work in the prison system. They did not care one bit. The friend just said, "Well, my mom lets me do all this stuff." Sad truth is, she does let her do all that stuff

I have a feeling my niece is "holding" the card for her friend, but I have no idea who took the pictures. She didn't take them herself, there's too many angles.
Answered at 5:21 PM on Nov. 20, 2008 by: Anonymous

Oh yeah, and my niece's mom is out of the picture because she has no morals herself. So going to her is going to do no good, either. She was also in on their little fun last month. Some moms, huh?
Answered at 5:23 PM on Nov. 20, 2008 by: feesharose

I wouldn't let her hang out with that friend anymore. She sounds like a bad influence. If that seems harsh, then say you can see her, but you are NOT allowed at her house, if you want to hang out with her you will do it here, in the living room or kitchen or your bedroom with the door OPEN.
Answered at 6:18 PM on Nov. 20, 2008 by: goaliemom93

I would give it to the girls mother, she may be letting them do a bunch of stuff thinking it is not so bad, but the pics of her nude daughter may be a wake up call! And let your niece only see the friend with your supervision.
Answered at 6:51 PM on Nov. 20, 2008 by: Anonymous

Tell her mother and give them to her mother.
Answered at 6:56 PM on Nov. 20, 2008 by: Anonymous

Does the memory stick belong to you?? If not you are the one who is wrong. The cops can not do anything about the photos if they are on only a memory card. If you can't prove these photos are being distributed or sold then there is no legality issue. You can look into helping your neice by calling your local social services office, many have programs for out of control or at risk teens. Searching through your neices things will only drive her further away.