CHATTANOOGA — Zackary Nelson, 28, was arrested on Tuesday, July 21, 2026, regarding the manufacture of child sexual abuse material. Nelson is being charged with sexual exploitation of a minor following an investigation by local authorities.

Detectives with the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Unit executed the arrest. Nelson was taken into custody at Daisy Elementary School, where he worked as a janitor.

The Sheriff's Office received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. According to reports, X.AI, the company founded by Elon Musk, sent a cyber tip containing one image associated with Nelson's account to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. This referral initiated the review of Nelson’s online activity.

Investigators found an account associated with Nelson that contained an image showing two male children with an adult female. Detectives observed that the adult female in the photo was wearing a Daisy Spartans sweatshirt. The photo appeared to have been taken in a school setting. The photo had been altered to make all individuals in the image appear pantless.

Further examination of the account revealed a significant volume of content. Nelson’s account included 3,750 photos and videos of adults and children in various stages of being altered. Over 100 of the photos had been altered to portray children in various stages of nudity and in explicit sex acts.

Following these discoveries, a search warrant was executed at Nelson’s residence. Numerous electronic devices were seized from Nelson’s residence during the operation. Nelson was transported to the Hamilton County Jail and Detention Center.

Nelson was employed as a janitor at Daisy Elementary School under a contract with ABM, the company that provides janitorial services to Hamilton County Schools. The arrest connects the suspect directly to the school environment depicted in the evidence.

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children plays a documented role in identifying and reporting such material. Research titled The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children was published in 2001 in PsycEXTRA Dataset. A study titled National Center for Missing and Exploited Children was published in 2002 in The Concise Dictionary of Crime and Justice.

Research titled National Center for Missing and Exploited Children was published in 2008 in Encyclopedia of Interpersonal Violence. A study titled Getting 5000 Families Back Together: Reuniting Fractured Families After a Disaster: The Role of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children was published in 2006 in PEDIATRICS. These publications describe the organization's established function in tracking exploitation and supporting affected families.