Project iGuardian teaches internet safety in honor of Tristyn Bailey on March 5
The free event is geared to middle and high school students, parents and guardians. Parental discretion is advised for younger children because of the mature subject matter.
Project iGuardian, is the official in-person educational arm of the Know2Protect campaign, which focuses on keeping children and teens safe from online predators through education and awareness.
Sheriff Robert Hardwick will present the evening's introductory remarks. Presentations include safety protocols within HSI's Project iGuardian curriculum, a SJSO female self-defense instructors' overview of Women Against Violent Encounters and a panel discussion with HSI special agents, SJSO detectives, Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force members and the Bailey Family.
Topics include tactics used by adult predators online; the growing trends of sextortion; information detected from external devices; along with apps, online games and social networks used by children. Scenarios based on local investigations for online child victimization will also be reviewed.
According to its website, Know2Protect is a Department of Homeland Security national public awareness campaign used for educating and empowering children, teens, parents, trusted adults and policymakers to:
Prevent and combat online child sexual exploitation and abuse.
Explain how to report online enticement and victimization.
Offer resources for victims and survivors and their supporters.
"The project is an outreach effort to share information about the dangers of online environments, how to stay safe online, and how to report abuse and suspicious activity," the department said. "In addition, the iGuardian team is here to help kids stay safe online by providing safety tips, a number to call, and a website with links to more information and resources. Project iGuardian helps kids, teens and parents be smarter about online safety and stay safe from online sexual predators."
On Mother's Day, May 9, 2021, Bailey, a seventh-grade student attending Patriot Oaks Academy in St. Johns County, was reported missing by her family. Hours later, the 13-year-old was found dead in the woods east of the cul-de-sac on Saddlestone Drive. The cheerleader had been stabbed 114 times from a downward angle. At least 49 of her wounds were defensive.
A Sheriff's Office diver found a Buck brand folding knife with its tip missing in a large pond near the Saddlestone cul-de-sac, approximately 140 feet from where the teenager's body was found. The knife tip was later retrieved from Bailey's scalp.
The knife sheath was among several pieces of evidence later found in the bedroom of Aiden Fucci, a 14-year-old classmate who was the last person to be seen with Bailey on the night she disappeared. Fucci was eventually arrested on a first-degree murder charge in Bailey's death.
In March 2023, Fucci was sentenced to life in prison for first-degree murder by Judge. R. Lee Smith in a St. Augustine courtroom.
Forrest Bailey, Tristyn's father, expressed his gratitude to Homeland Security and the SJSO for the presentations on the "very present yet under-reported dangers of social media."
"I hope that our teens and adults who have, or work closely with children, can make it to one of these sessions throughout the county to understand how criminals are following our kids in their home," he said in a statement to The St. Augustine Record in October 2024.
If you think someone is the victim of child sexual exploitation, call the Know2Protect tip line at 833-591-KNOW (833-591-5669). Information received via the tipline will be reviewed by appropriate personnel and referred to HSI field offices for potential investigation. You can also call 800-843-5678 or submit a CyberTipline report to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
This article originally appeared on St. Augustine Record: Project iGuardian teaches internet safety to parents and kids March 5
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