EL PASO, Texas (KTSM)- Ryan Gallardo, 23, was held without bond Thursday, May 25 for one count of sexual exploitation of children and a fourth-degree felony in Doña Ana County District Court, according to the Office of the Third Judicial District Attorney.
New Mexico authorities say law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Gallardo’s cousin’s home, Yamil Pillado, where they found several video files of young girls engaging in sexually explicit conduct in Pillado’s cellphone.
Pillado, which resides in Texas, gave a statement affirming that he obtained most of the child exploitive materials from his cousin Gallardo. Pillado was then arrested and charged in Texas.
Officials add Gallardo’s phone was found in his apartment, as well as his mother’s residence in Santa Teresa, New Mexico after another search warrant was executed.
The evidence was obtained from WhatsApp and Gallardo was identified as the account owner.
The child exploitive material included conversations, sexual videos, and images that were exchanged by both men spanning from 2022 through April 2023
Additionally, the investigation was triggered by the Internet Crimes Against Children Unit at the El Paso Police Department, which was alerted by Synchronoss Technologies about the Verizon Cloud Account phone number. The cyber tip was sent to the Las Cruces Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Division.
