A woman allegedly posed as a 14-year-old student while having a sexual relationship with a child in Tampa, Florida.
The Tampa Bay Times identified the suspect as 22-year-old Alyssa Ann Zinger, the outlet reported Friday.
Law enforcement officers arrested her November 24 regarding two counts of lewd and lascivious battery along with five counts of lewd or lascivious molestation on a person 12 to 15 years of age.
Zinger is accused of contacting a child using the app called Snapchat and posing as a homeschooler to engage in a sexual relationship with the young victim.
Snapchat is a social media app that is marketed to younger users, according to NordVPN.
However, some of the risks include privacy concerns, cyberbullying, exposure to inappropriate content, and stranger danger, the site said.
A mugshot shows the blonde woman involved in the recent case:
Tampa woman posed as homeschooled 14-year-old to molest middle schoolers: police https://t.co/QwlE69n74E pic.twitter.com/C4ptQCkbs9
— New York Post (@nypost) December 2, 2023
Zinger has apparently pleaded not guilty. She was released from custody after paying an over $7,000 bond for each of the second-degree felony charges.
Officials began investigating the woman months ago, the Times article continued:
During the investigation, one person told police that Zinger sent a video to several children through Snapchat depicting sexual intercourse. Multiple victims said they believed Zinger was near their age and homeschooled, the warrant states.
The search warrant does not identify any minors involved in the case, nor does it specify the number of victims. However, Tampa police said on Friday that Zinger had an inappropriate relationship with a boy who was between the ages of 12 and 15.
The victim claimed the pair were in a sexual relationship for several months until it ended in September. The suspect also allegedly sent explicit images and video footage.
According to 10 Tampa Bay, Zinger was allegedly involved in a shoplifting incident in July inside a Nordstrom store.
“There, investigators say Zinger claimed to be 14 years old. They later showed her picture to a supervisor at this Publix store in Carrollwood where they confirmed she worked and found out she is in fact 22 years old,” the outlet reported.
Per the Times article, officials believe there are additional victims in the case. Persons with more information are urged to contact the Tampa police by dialing 813-231-6130.
