BONUS SERIES: Levittown Episode 2 | ‘I’m Also on the Website’ · Bloomberg Daybreak: US Edition summary

Key takeaways

Cyber harassment involving doctored images is extremely difficult for law enforcement to prosecute due to the challenge of proving that images are fake.
Victims of online sexualized abuse, especially involving minors, experience severe emotional trauma, including fear, nightmares, and social withdrawal.
The women in Levittown were targeted because they all knew each other and were connected through their community, ruling out the chance that the perpetrator was a stranger.
Despite initial police dismissals, the victims actively investigated and identified a suspect based on social media evidence and physical background details.
The harassment escalated over time, with the perpetrator posting hundreds of fake images, threatening violence, and sharing personal information online.
Many victims responded by protecting their social media accounts, moving to private, or deleting them, and some experienced life-altering consequences.
The local case was part of a broader, international ecosystem of online exploitation, involving multiple countries and possibly thousands of victims.
Procedural hurdles, such as lack of physical evidence and legal ambiguity about fake images, hindered law enforcement efforts to arrest the suspect.

Summary

Introduction to the series and content warning

The episode begins with a brief introduction to a six-part series exploring issues of sexualized imagery involving minors and violence, warning listeners to take care. The hosts emphasize that this is episode two and recommend listening to previous episodes first. They establish the serious and sensitive nature of the content ahead.

Kayla's personal story and discovery of her images online

Kayla recounts a personal traumatic experience from New Year's Eve 2020, when her father showed her images of her he found online. This was nearly a year after he had discovered her pictures on a website, a moment that marked the beginning of her ordeal. The episode then shifts to discuss how many young women in her community found their photos posted online without consent, revealing that they all knew each other from high school and shared similar experiences of being targeted.

The invasion of privacy and emotional impact on victims

Multiple women share their reactions upon discovering their images on a website called Come on Printed Picks, where they found their social media photos doctored and posted with sexually explicit captions. Cecilia describes her shock when her social media selfie was altered to be fully nude and posted alongside an image of a child's face with a penis, which caused her immense distress and crying. The detailed descriptions capture the horror and sense of violation felt by the victims, who felt paralyzed and helpless.

Police response and ongoing harassment escalation

The victims and their families reported the harassment to police, who initially dismissed the case because the images were faked and the poster anonymous, with no immediate legal recourse. Nonetheless, the women continued to support each other and sought to identify the perpetrator. Over months, the harasser posted hundreds of new photos, including deep-faked nude images, with personal details and threatening messages. Many victims faced escalating threats, including messages with their faces, explicit content, and intimidation, causing fear, anxiety, and life-altering reactions.

Victims' ongoing trauma and community impact

The episode details the deep emotional toll on the women, with some deleting social media, dropping out of school, losing weight, carrying knives for safety, and living in constant fear. Kayla describes nightmares and paranoia about men on the street, feeling guilty, and self-blame. The stories highlight how widespread this harassment was, and how it affected not only the victims but their families and communities, with police unable to intervene effectively in the early stages.

Suspected perpetrator and the investigation progress

One young woman, Kat, identifies a suspect, Patrick Carey, a classmate and neighbor, based on his presence on TikTok and the background details in his posts. She shares her police report with detectives, who started collecting digital evidence, including subpoenas and tracing IP addresses. Despite finding a link to Patrick's house, the police lacked enough evidence for an arrest, and the suspect declined to comment. Meanwhile, the victims remained terrified, and the threat persisted, with further harassment and false postings continuing online.

Broader scope and global context of exploitation

Detective Ingram explains that the local case was part of a larger, international network of individuals exploiting women through similar websites, suggesting a widespread issue across different countries. As the investigation deepens, the hosts express their interest in discovering who was behind the site, recognizing the scale and complexity of online non-consensual content and harassment.

Show notes

Months after Kayla’s discovery, dozens of women in Levittown, a New York suburb on Long Island, learn they, too, are subjects of faked porn. Most are recent graduates of the local high school, and they zero in on a culprit. One of them sets out to prove it.

For official transcripts and additional information on this series, go to bloomberg.com/levittown

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

BONUS SERIES: Levittown Episode 2 | ‘I’m Also on the Website’