A Washington woman has been arrested on suspicion of molesting a 3-year-old member of her own family and sending images of the abuse to strangers online.
Jessica Cunnington, 27, has been charged with rape of a child, child molestation and sexual exploitation of a minor following an investigation by the Spokane Valley Police Department.
According to a statement, police were contacted by a friend of the suspect on December 2, 2018. The friend claimed Cunnington told her that she was "in trouble" and facing jail for a sex crime.
Cunnington is alleged to have told the friend that she had a Tumblr account where she engaged in "inappropriate interactions," including sending sexually explicit photos and videos of a 3-year-old member of her family.
Cunnington asked the friend to take her laptop, an external hard drive and some homemade CDs because she feared they would be seized. According to KXLY, Cunnington dropped off the items after Google sent her a subpoena from the FBI saying she was being investigated for sharing explicit images of children.
On December 4, Sexual Assault Unit Detective Kevin Richey launched an investigation into Cunnington along with the FBI Task Force.
On December 31, a Spokane Valley deputy responded to a dispute between Cunnington and the father of her three children. The pair are separated.
The deputy, who was unaware of the child abuse investigation against Cunnington, then allowed the 27-year-old to go to her parents' house with her three children. According to court documents seen by KXLY, the estranged husband told the detective that Cunnington previously admitted to filming herself performing oral sex on a 3-year-old girl and posting images and video online.
When asked why he did not alert the authorities, the husband claimed he did not realize what Cunnington did was rape, and wanted her to have one more Christmas with her children before turning her in.
The husband also told detectives that Rob Cossey, an attorney who consulted Cunnington, had advised the 27-year-old to "lose or destroy" the phone that she allegedly used to record the abuse.
Speaking to The Spokane-Review, Cossey denied telling his client to allegedly destroy potential evidence.
"No, no," he said. "I told her not to have it in her possession."
Cunnington was booked into the Spokane County Jail after being charged. Her three children have been released into the custody of Child Protective Services.
"Today's arrest is an outstanding example of concerned citizens reporting criminal activity and the excellent working relationship between the FBI Task Force and Spokane Valley/Spokane County Sheriff's Office Sexual Assault Unit Detectives as they work in partnership to ensure the safety of our children," a Spokane Valley Police Department spokesperson said.
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