Cyber Tip Triggers I-85 Takedown of DeKalb County Couple Facing Child Abuse Charges

LAVONIA, GA — An international tracking effort intersected on Interstate 85 Friday after state agents intercepted two DeKalb County residents driving toward the state line. 20-year-old Guiseppe Tanasie and 23-year-old Francisca Istraila both of Stonecrest, Georgia, were arrested and charged with Sexual Exploitation of Children.

Intercepted on the Interstate

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) launched an investigation into the pair after receiving a Cyber Tipline Report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). The federal tip flagged the online production and distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

As cybercrime agents tracked the digital signatures, field investigators learned that Tanasie and Istraila had left their home in DeKalb County and were traveling north, with an ultimate destination of Virginia.

The GBI’s Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes (CEACC) Unit coordinated with local highway enforcement to intercept the vehicle. On Friday, May 15, 2026, with the assistance of the Hart County Sheriff’s Office, deputies spotted the suspects’ vehicle traveling northbound on I-85 in Hart County, just miles before they would have crossed the state line into South Carolina.

Booking and Custody

Both suspects were pulled over, taken into custody without incident, and booked into the Hart County Jail.

Because the initial NCMEC report alleged the active production of child exploitation material alongside its distribution, forensic teams are currently conducting deep digital examinations of any cellular devices, cameras, or computers recovered from the vehicle during the highway stop.

The investigation remains active. Anyone with information about other cases of child exploitation is asked to contact the Georgia Bureau of Investigation CEACC Unit at 404-270-8870 or submit a tip via the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children CyberTipline at Cybertipline.org.