Photo Texting a Wrong Phone Number?

This evening someone texted me a photo that caused me to contact the police. I didn’t recognize the phone number, but according to a quick internet search, it is a Richmond, Virginia phone number. I have an iPhone, and the text says iMessage, so I am fairly sure the sender had to have been using an iPhone. There was no message, only a photo. The photo appears to be a child, maybe age 10. I am not sure if it is girl or boy. The photo appears to have been taken at a slight angle and shows the child’s face laying sideways on a (possibly) bed. There is an adult’s hand pressing down on the top of the child’s head with the thumb between the eyebrows pressing down hard enough to cause the forehead skin to bunch down below the thumb. The child is not smiling. The child’s mouth is slightly open, and while the child doesn’t exactly appear to be in pain, the child doesn’t look comfortable. The photo appears to have been taken in a house as I can see a bookshelf with framed photos in the background.

I didn’t know what to do when I got it, other than to take to Twitter to ask for advice. I finally decided to call my local police’s non-emergency phone number. The woman I spoke to asked what I wanted to do. I learned they have no way to receive a text message, so if I wanted someone to look at it, then an officer would have to come to my house. After deliberating, I finally asked to have them send someone. A very nice officer came fairly quickly, remarkably fast actually considering this was a non-emergency call. I showed him the photo apologized for making him come if he disagreed that it was somewhat disturbing. While he never actually stated what he thought of the photo, I think he agreed the photo was at best weird. Also he never gave me an impression that he thought I was a lunatic for being concerned about this photo. Unfortunately I learned there was very little, in fact nothing he could do. He said since the photo was not pornographic and did not show a child in imminent danger, cell phone companies would give them very little information without a court order. He also stated what I knew, which is that even the phone number appears to be Richmond, Virginia, the phone could be anywhere. He said with Google voice numbers, it might not even be a cell phone exactly. [It was not until after he left, I realized the text said iMessage, hence must be an iPhone.] I told him that I didn’t contact the phone number at all, partially because I didn’t know if this was a weird scam or what the proper response was. He essentially said there was nothing they could do now, but if I keep getting photos from this number, and they get weirder, to contact them again. For now, I will keep the photo and hope I don’t get anymore, that the child is in no danger, and that it was just a weird joke or something perfectly reasonable that got sent to the wrong number.

The incident brings up so many questions though. First, I live in a fairly affluent municipality that is not exactly desperate for money. Also, as a suburb of Washington, DC, public safety is generally not skimped on fiscally. So how is it in 2014, my police department can’t receive a text? Forget about how much easier it would have been for me to forward this photo to them, what about if someone is in danger? It might be easier and safer to send a text than to have to possibly reveal themselves by speaking on the phone to a police operator. Is this some sort of technological issue or what?

Second, I’m curious what other people would have done in my place. What other options are there? The police don’t seem to have many options in this case. I don’t want to over blow this photo because again, it’s not pornographic, and the child doesn’t appear to be in imminent danger, but still, it would at least be nice to track down a name or something to allow the police or someone just to phone them. I don’t know what I would even like to occur if anything was possible. I am not a fan of Big Brother, but I don’t like this feeling of helplessness.

Advice, opinions, comments, ideas, want to tell me I worry too much (yes I know that)? Please leave a comment.

Edited to add: Someone informed me how to get location data out of a photo. According the metadata on photo, it was taken in outskirts of Richmond, Virginia. I can narrow it down to a couple of blocks based on the way it is mapping. I think I will start paying attention to news from that area for a bit or possibly look to see if there are missing child cases or anything like that. At least I will feel like I did something.