According to a Taylor County affidavit filed Aug. 7, Barrett Nead knowingly possessed a video depicting the sexual assault of an infant on or about July 13, 2026. Investigators said the video was first brought to the FBI's attention in 2023.
The affidavit says the FBI received a September 2023 tip linking the video to a Twitter account. Investigators traced an IP address to an Abilene apartment where Nead, then 17, lived with his father. The FBI later closed the case because it could not determine who possessed the video.
The Taylor County Sheriff's Office began investigating a separate tip in July 2026 that named Nead as a suspect, the affidavit says. In an interview with Detective Andrew Rodela, Nead admitted to possessing the video from the 2023 tip, according to the affidavit.