Investigators say victims include students and possibly staff across districts.
ITASCA, TX — Police in the small North Texas town of Itasca have arrested a juvenile accused of using artificial intelligence tools to create sexually explicit “deep fake” nude images from real photos of students, and possibly school employees, as investigators work to identify victims across multiple school districts.
The case has rattled families in Hill County and pushed a growing national problem into a small school community: realistic-looking fake sexual images made from ordinary photos. Itasca police and the Texas Rangers are examining digital evidence and a cellphone tied to the former student. School officials say many of the apparent victims are underage and warn that the impact can linger even if the images never appear on a public website.
According to Itasca Independent School District officials, the investigation began after another student reported seeing the concerning images on the suspect’s phone. The district said a former Itasca High School student had taken photos of other people, then used an AI platform to generate altered nude images. Superintendent Tonya Harris said investigators do not believe the original photos were taken during school hours. “My understanding is they were taken at a variety of locations and a variety of events,” Harris said in an interview. She added that the alleged victims were not limited to Itasca students and could include adults, possibly district staff members, and students from other districts.
Police opened the investigation in mid-January, district officials said. Harris told families in a letter that investigators had taken custody of the suspect’s phone and were conducting a forensic analysis. The former student withdrew from Itasca ISD sometime in January, according to the district, and was arrested earlier in February. Because the suspect is a juvenile, authorities have not released a name, age or booking photo. Itasca police have said the Texas Rangers are assisting and that detectives are continuing to review digital evidence while coordinating with other partners.
The allegations have quickly expanded beyond a single school hallway rumor into a broader effort to find and notify victims. Harris said she had already heard from at least one superintendent in a nearby district about the case. In her letter to families, she wrote that a former student took photographs of students and staff within Itasca ISD and that the images were later used in an AI platform to create digitally altered, sexually explicit nude images. She said the district was working with law enforcement and that the suspect was in custody while investigators continued their work.
What remains unclear is as important to families as what officials have confirmed. Authorities have not said how many images were found, how many people were targeted, or whether the altered images were distributed beyond the suspect’s phone. Fox 4 reported it is unknown whether any of the AI-generated images were posted online. It is also unclear when and where the original photos were taken, officials said, and whether any were captured at school-sponsored events. Harris said she believes investigators will try to identify every person shown in the altered images and contact them and their parents.
In interviews about the case, Harris described the emotional weight of learning that familiar student faces may have been used in explicit fakes. She said the situation was “very disturbing,” and framed it as a reminder that new technology can be used to harm. “Everybody is afraid of AI, but it’s like any tool,” she said. “In the right hands, it’s a great tool. In the wrong hands, it can be used for evil.” She also warned families about the lasting fear that can come with the circulation of sexual images, even fake ones, because copies can be saved and reshared long after an investigation ends.
Experts say cases like this often begin with a single photo and software that can mimic a real person’s face and body. Enrique Lara, a Houston-based technology company CEO interviewed by NBC 5, said “just with one photo” a convincing fake can be made, and he argued that the speed of the technology has outpaced safeguards. The ease of the process, he said, makes it difficult for regulators and schools to keep up. In the Itasca case, investigators are now focused on what is on the seized phone and any linked accounts that could show who created what, when, and where the files went.
Texas and federal laws have been shifting as lawmakers respond to deep fakes and other nonconsensual sexual imagery. At the federal level, the TAKE IT DOWN Act became law in May 2025, creating nationwide rules that aim to curb the online publication of nonconsensual intimate images, including computer-generated images. The law is designed to pressure certain online platforms to remove the content quickly after receiving notice. School officials in Itasca have not said whether any takedown requests have been made in this case, and investigators have not publicly described any specific site or app where images may have appeared.
The criminal and juvenile justice path in the Itasca investigation is still unfolding. The district has said the former student was arrested and faces a juvenile allegation described as engaging in delinquent conduct, and the case remains under investigation. Police have not released probable-cause details, and prosecutors have not publicly outlined what additional charges, if any, could be sought as the digital evidence review continues. Because the suspect is a minor, court proceedings and records may be more limited than adult criminal cases, and key filings may not be immediately public.
For the district, the immediate steps have centered on communication and support. Harris’ letter to families described the police work and stressed that investigators were continuing to analyze the suspect’s phone. She also signaled that the inquiry could involve people connected to other districts. That has raised the likelihood of follow-up interviews with students and families and additional coordination among administrators as each potential victim is identified. Harris said she felt deeply for students who may be affected and described them as “my kids,” language that reflected both the small-town setting and the personal closeness common in small districts.
Parents in Itasca and surrounding communities have been left trying to understand the scale of the damage without clear numbers. Authorities have not said how many victims have been confirmed, whether any images were printed or shared in person, or whether the files were sent through messaging apps. Investigators have also not said whether they believe the suspect acted alone or whether any other students assisted, encouraged, or shared the content. Officials have said detectives will continue reviewing the digital evidence and working with state and federal partners, suggesting the analysis could include account logs, app data, cloud backups, and any connected devices.
As of Saturday, the suspect remained unnamed publicly because of juvenile privacy rules, and Itasca police had not released new details beyond confirming the investigation and the Texas Rangers’ assistance. District officials said they expect the victim-identification work to continue, with more notifications possible as investigators sort through devices and files. The next milestone is the completion of the forensic analysis of the seized phone, which officials have described as central to determining how many people were targeted and whether any images were distributed.
Author note: Last updated February 21, 2026.