Updated

German authorities have taken the rare step of releasing the photograph of a young girl who was the victim of sexual abuse in the hopes of identifying who she is and who posted pornographic pictures of her online.

Frankfurt prosecutors said Monday the girl, who is four or five, is thought to have been sexually assaulted multiple times between October 2016 and July 2017 somewhere in Germany.

They say the abuse was filmed and photographed by a "very cautious" suspect, who then distributed the images on a child pornography platform on the so-called "darknet," a restricted access computer network often used by criminals.

The victim is described as German-speaking, thin, with possibly brown eyes and blond to dark blond straight hair.

Anyone with information on her being asked to contact federal police.