The parents of a 13-year-old girl from Dinwiddie County in Virginia were forced to turn in their own daughter to the police after discovering nude pictures of her in her cellphone and tablet device. According to the girl's mother, her daughter had been sending naked photos of herself to other teens while simultaneously receiving nude pictures of other kids as well. Authorities stated that the parents of the girl found the pictures they discovered to be disturbing, which led them to bring the 13-year-old in to be investigated by sheriff deputies.

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"What scares me is, this is much bigger than we realize. How many others are doing this and you don't realize it," the mother told CBS 6 News. She requested to remain anonymous to protect her family's privacy. Based on her statement, she and her husband confiscated the gadgets of their 13-year-old daughter at 4 a.m., when their other child heard voices in her sister's bedroom.

"Looking through the phone and the tablet we did find sexual pictures, conversations that were very inappropriate for her age," she shared. In describing some of the troubling photographs, she clarified that none showed her daughter with anyone else. However, most were naked pictures of her daughter sent to other boys. In addition, her daughter also received nude pictures from the recipients of her naked photos.

"Everybody wanted to be her friend, because according to these people, she was cool now," the worried mother said. Apart from these concerns, the parents also found out that their daughter might be sending and receiving pictures from whom they suspect to be a high school seniors enrolled in the area. "We believe them to be 17-18ish... Definitely older than her. Did request that they have sex," they shared.

Although some criticized their course of action, the 13-year-old's parents believe that seeking the assistance of the sheriff's office will help them protect their daughter. They deem this security measure invaluable even though their daughter might face criminal charges due to her actions. The parents feared that someone dangerous might gain access to these pictures and attempt to inflict harm to their daughter. "We did this now to protect her for now and in the future, because this could get worse. She could be taken," the girl's mother defended.

Commonwealth's Attorney Lisa Caruso explained, however, that there are other ways for the teen to deal with the consequences. These options, in fact, do not necessarily involve going through the court system. "What's called diversion in the juvenile justice system. That's a 12 week program and it would be group classes. The parents would get involved [and] there would be some counseling," the lawyer elucidated. The older teens involved, however, might face felony charges depending on their ages.

TagsDinwiddie County, Virginia, CBS, sexting, 13-year-old, juvenile, Lisa Caruso