13-05-2025
Palm Bay substitute teacher used Instagram to message underage student, police say
The Brief
Ajani McPherson, 27, used "vanish mode" on Instagram to send a nude picture to an underage student, police said.
McPherson admitted to knowing the student's age and sending the photo, according to an arrest affidavit.
PALM BAY, Fla. - A Palm Bay substitute teacher has been arrested after he allegedly shared an inappropriate photo of himself with a female student. Ajani McPherson, 27, used "vanish mode" on Instagram to send a nude picture to an underage student, police said.
Why you should care
Newly released court documents outline the conversation between Ajani McPherson and the underage student. According to a police affidavit, McPherson admitted to knowing the student's age and sending her a nude photo. The student recorded the messages on another phone and reported McPherson to the School Resource Officer.
According to the affidavit, on May 8, McPherson began messaging the student on Instagram. McPherson allegedly asked the student if she had a boyfriend. Police stated the student asked McPherson if he knew how old she was, to which he replied yes and told her he was 27.
McPherson continued messaging with the student, allegedly sending a message stating he wanted to tell her something, but she couldn't tell anyone. At that point, investigators said the student agreed to put the conversation on "vanish mode" and that's when McPherson allegedly sent the student a fully nude photo of himself.
Vanish mode on Instagram lets people send each other disappearing messages, photos, videos and other content which then disappears when vanish mode is turned off or someone leaves the chat. In vanish mode, you cannot copy, save, or forward messages and if a screenshot is taken, the other user receives a notification.
What they're saying
Tech expert and co-founder of the company Jason Thatcher, says vanish mode causes messages to be automatically deleted.
"Once the session ends, the whole message will disappear. Very similar to like a signal and different messaging apps," said Thatcher. "It's both a privacy and a security feature as well to make sure no one can go back and look at that chat."
Thatcher says since the messages disappear, vanish mode can create concerns for parents trying to keep their children safe online.
"The one thing I stress is that it's always okay to come to Mom and Dad and vocalize if you're ever in danger, have a concern, or something weird," said Thatcher. "Having that safe communication path with your kids, It's really important in this day and age."
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The Source
A Palm Bay Police affidavit states what conversations were allegedly exchanged between McPherson and the underage student. Instagram's website provides an explanation as to what vanish mode does. Tech expert and co-founder of the company Jason Thatcher, explains why vanish mode is used and why it could be concerning for parents protecting their kids.
