Police – NBC 6 South Florida

An 18-month investigation into the uploading of child pornography has led to the arrest of a Miami man who was allegedly also messaging girls through social media, police said.

Junior Del Villar Hernandez, 39, was arrested Wednesday on 15 counts of possession of sexual performance by a child materials, Miami Police officials said.

The investigation began in September 2022 when 15 videos of child sexual abuse material was uploaded to a Gmail account, police said.

The “extremely disturbing” videos showed sexual acts on children as young as 2, police said.

Detectives “chased many misleading leads” during the investigation but were able to identify Hernandez as the suspect, police said.

Investigators also learned he had been messaging underage females through social media, officials said.

A search warrant was executed and Hernandez was taken into custody before he was booked into jail.

Police said they’re still searching for possible victims.

“The Miami Police Department takes any crime against infants/children seriously and will work tirelessly to identify and bring to justice those who engage in such acts against the innocent and helpless children,” officials said in a news release. “Therefore, if you believe you were a victim targeted by Hernandez, we urge you to come forward.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Miami Police Department’s Special Victims Unit at 305-603-6300.