Child rapist who groomed kids over the internet now asking for pen pals via TikTok

According to the Idaho Statesman, Vanlith ended her 15 second video by blowing a kiss at the camera. The TikTok went online July 8 and by Friday had gone viral after accumulating 3.7 million views.

Vanlith made the video from behind the walls of the South Idaho Correctional Institution near Boise.

The child sexual predator is serving 10 years in prison for raping two teenage boys that she groomed over the internet. Vanlith had used Snapchat and Facebook to connect with the boys and then lure them into physical encounters.

"I made BIG mistakes in the past, but that doesn’t define who I am," Vanlith told the Statesman, "I’ve learned and grown a lot in the last five years. I take responsibility for what I’ve done. The past doesn’t define me, and I’ve started a new chapter of my life."

The two boys she raped were ages 14 and 17 and she was also accused of inappropriately touching another 15-year old. Those charges were dropped after she took a plea deal. In total she was charged with two counts of rape, enticing children over the internet, and distribution of a controlled substance to persons under 18.

Vanlith eventually gained 33,000 TikTok followers after she made a total of eight videos.

According to The Daily Mail, the Idaho Department of Corrections said they could do nothing about her videos because they have no control over third party apps. The incarcerated aren't allowed direct access to social media but they are allowed to use the federal JPay system for communication.

JPay is a tool that enables money transfers between inmates and the public but also allows prisoners to communicate in various ways, including recording videos and sending them to someone in the outside world.

The Daily Mail writes, "that means someone else will have created a TikTok for Vanlith and uploaded the clips, apparently with her blessing."

Vanlith said that she wanted to meet new people to help pass the time and did not specify how her videos made it to TikTok.

Eventually TikTok took down her account but not before over 500 people reached out to Vanlith to "communicate."