How "Distinctive' Tattoos, Instagram & Twitter Led to Arrest of Alleged Child Molester

Christopher Lynn Driskill, 48, was arrested last week, on November 26, and charged via criminal complaint with production of child pornography.

He made his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge John R. Parker on Tuesday, according to the United States Attorney's Office.

Per a criminal complaint obtained by TooFab, the investigation began on July 29, 2024, after the FBI was referred to sexual abuse material posted to the dark web on both July 27th and 29th. A child's face could allegedly be seen in the two videos, as well as the face of at least one of three adult men, who were seen "performing sexual acts on the unknown prepubescent male."

In addition to one of the men's faces being "fully visible in the video," that man also had some identifying features -- namely, tattoos.

Per the special agent cited in the docs, the FBI honed in on the man's "distinct" tattoos in an effort to identify him. The ink in question included the word "DABBY" or "DADDY" on his right arm, the numbers 197 on his left bicep, the words "CAST NO STONES" on his left forearm and a Texas flag "in the shape of a head" on his right forearm.

The FBI added the then-unknown man -- initially dubbed "John Doe 49" -- to their Most Wanted list, posting screenshots from the video and asking for help identifying him. "It is believed that this individual may have critical information pertaining to the identity of a child victim in a sexual exploitation investigation," they said at the time.

A month and a half later, in Coleman, Texas and "unbeknownst to the FBI," police responded to a report of child molestation, according to the docs. Per the complaint, a witness who had dated Driskill claimed Driskill confessed to assaulting a child, as well as to having recordings of the assault on his phone and laptop.

Investigators reportedly spoke with the alleged victim -- who, the criminal complaint notes, "did not make an outcry" -- before going to Driskill's parents' home, where the suspect was living. Driskill allegedly initially denied the sexual abuse, claiming the witness -- who he was no longer seeing -- was "mad at him over the bad breakup."

The Coleman Police Department (CPD) closed the investigation, as the alleged victim had no "outcry" and there was no additional evidence. However, the department's interview with Driskill was recorded, with that video later coming into play.

As the FBI investigation continued, they tried finding a "visually similar individual" to the man in the video on Instagram and came across Driskill's profile.

Per the criminal complaint, authorities believed "the user image for the account is the same face and facial hair" as the man in the video. A comparison can be seen above.

On Driskill's Twitter page, meanwhile, they allegedly found a 2017 post from the suspect revealing his then-new tattoo -- which was the Texas flag in the shape of a head.

After learning Driskill lived in Coleman, Texas, agents were sent to the area -- where they then became aware of the recent molestation allegations against him. CPD also gave the agents the bodycam footage from their interview with Driskill and authorities began comparing the tattoos.

While conducting surveillance on Driskill, they also allegedly observed the same tattoos on him in person.

Agents also noted that the man in the video had a "unique indentation on the left side of his face," which they believed matched a similar marking on Driskill's license photo.

A warrant was then issued and Driskill was arrested on November 26.

Per the attorney's office, if convicted, Driskill faces up to 30 years in federal prison.

If you are experiencing or witness child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. If you believe a child is in immediate danger, call 911.

The National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline -- 800.656.HOPE (4673) -- provides free, 24/7 support for those in need.