Circulating Again: Photo of Woman Holding Gun to Baby’s Head

An image showing a young woman holding a gun to a baby’s head has circulated for years. Today we take a closer look.

The source and veracity remain unknown.

Let’s take a look at the message circulating with the image, which we first spotted back in mid-2013.

SHARE – PLEASE ALL OVER THE INTERNET TILL WE FIND THIS CHILD AND WOMAN
I was sent this picture today by a friend who was very distressed to see it on her page. It apparently was posted to see if anybody could find the girl and if they cared well we do care and we have to find this baby as this scares the hell out of me

2013 Origin

We first reported on this photo in August 2013 after it was seen in heavy circulation on Facebook. Speculation varied wildly regarding the source of the image. One theory was that the “woman” may actually be an adolescent sibling “joking” with a toy gun for the camera after giving her sister a bath. Others have suggested that the image may have been digitally altered. Un-cropped versions of the photo show a woman in the background who appears to be standing at a sink, which some have suggested could be the child’s mother or grandmother.

The image is believed to have originated in Buenos Aires, Argentina, but this was never confirmed. The person who posted the photo above claimed that authorities had been contacted and were investigating.

Bottom Line

Although social media outrage flared in response to the photo above when it first appeared in 2013, it does not appear that the source was ever confirmed. Even as the photo has seen a resurgence in May 2015, we have found no additional information on the photo or the people involved.

For a mind-numbingly long discussion about this photo, you may be interested in the blog post where it all started.

Updated May 13, 2015
Originally published August 2013