Episode 15 - Inside the Mind of an Online Predator

When an arrest makes the news, we call them monsters.

But if we only see predators as monsters, we miss the warning signs hiding in plain sight.

In this episode of Chasing Shadows, investigator Sean Lacy takes listeners inside the psychology of online predators — not to excuse their behavior, but to understand how they think, how they justify their actions, and how they blend into everyday life.

Drawing from years of interviews, interrogations, and real cases, Sean explains why many offenders don’t look suspicious, don’t act impulsively, and often live seemingly normal lives while operating in secret online worlds.

Episode 14- When Kids Become Offenders: The Collapse of the Line Between Victim and Criminal

For decades, child exploitation cases followed a familiar pattern: adult offender, child victim.

That model is breaking down.

In this episode of Chasing Shadows, veteran investigator Sean Lacy exposes a disturbing new reality — one where children are no longer just being targeted online, but are being pulled into the machinery of exploitation itself.

Drawing from real investigations, Sean explains how normalized teen sexting, viral image sharing, and underground online marketplaces are turning victims into participants — sometimes without them even realizing it. He walks listeners through cases in which juveniles were found producing and distributing explicit images of themselves for money, revealing how modern technology has collapsed the line between victim and offender.

he Grooming Playbook: How Predators Prepare Children Before Anyone Notices

Every day, children receive new phones, tablets, and gaming systems — and most parents worry about screen time. Very few think about grooming.

But online exploitation rarely begins with sex. It begins with trust.

In this episode of Chasing Shadows, veteran investigator Sean Lacy breaks down the real grooming playbook used by online predators across every platform and app. Drawing from hundreds of investigations, Sean explains how offenders slowly build emotional control over children long before parents see any warning signs.