The family of a second girl has accused a flight attendant of secretly recording her as she used the bathroom on an American Airlines flight.
Estes Carter Thompson III, 37, was arrested in January after a 14-year-old North Carolina girl noticed an iPhone taped to the toilet on the flight he was working on and alerted her parents.
The FBI then found other victims after searching his devices and iCloud. Among the abuse images were some of a nine-year-old Texas girl whose parents are now suing both Thomson and American Airlines, according to documents seen by DailyMail.com.
In the lawsuit, filed Tuesday, the girl’s parents allege that Thompson took photos of the girl in January 2023 while she was using the bathroom on the flight en route to Los Angeles. The girl and her family were on their way to Disney World and a gymnastics competition.
The images, recovered by the FBI from Thompson’s iCloud, showed the girl’s face, buttocks and genitals, according to the complaint.
Flight attendant Estes Carter Thompson III, 37, has been sued by the family of a second victim: a nine-year-old girl he allegedly recorded in the bathroom aboard an American Airlines flight
In the lawsuit, filed Tuesday, the girl’s parents allege Thompson took photos of the girl in January 2023 while she was using the bathroom during the flight en route to Los Angeles (stock photo)
“It felt like we were living a nightmare when the FBI showed up at our door to tell us that our daughter had been secretly filmed by an American Airlines flight attendant. Since then, our daughter has struggled with fear and worry,” the girl’s family told DailyMail.com in a statement.
‘We are doing everything we can to support her during this traumatic time. An important part of our family’s healing is ensuring that the flight attendant and American Airlines are held accountable for what happened to our daughter. We hope this lawsuit is the first step in ensuring something like this never happens to another family again.”
DailyMail.com has contacted American Airlines for comment on this story.
Police have previously said Thomson, of North Carolina, had recordings of four other underage female passengers using restrooms on a plane he had previously worked on.
Thompson was charged with attempted sexual exploitation of a child and possession of child sexual abuse images depicting a prepubescent minor.
Investigators said that about halfway through the Sept. 2, 2023, flight from Charlotte to Boston, the 14-year-old got up to use the main cabin restroom closest to her seat, only to find it was occupied.
Thompson then told her the first-class restroom was empty and escorted her there, investigators said. Before she entered the bathroom, Thompson allegedly told her he needed to wash his hands and that the toilet seat was broken.
After leaving, the teen entered the bathroom and noticed red stickers on the bottom of the toilet seat lid, which was open, reading “INOPERATIVE CATERING EQUIPMENT,” “REMOVE FROM OPERATION,” and “SEAT BROKEN,” handwritten in black ink on one of the stickers, according to court documents.
Under the stickers, Thompson had hidden his iPhone to record a video, investigators said. The girl used her phone to take a photo of the stickers and hidden iPhone before leaving. Thompson then immediately returned to the bathroom.
The girl told her parents, and her father confronted Thompson, who locked himself in the bathroom with his iPhone three to five minutes before the plane’s descent, investigators said.
The minor’s parents also informed other flight attendants and the captain was informed. The captain then contacted the police on site.
When the plane landed, police said Thompson’s phone may have been reset to factory settings while he was locked in the bathroom.
The 14-year-old teenager entered the bathroom and noticed red stickers on the bottom of the toilet seat lid that read ‘INOPERATIVE CATERING EQUIPMENT’, ‘REMOVE FROM SERVICE’ and ‘SEAT BROKEN’, handwritten in black ink on one of the stickers.
A search of Thompson’s suitcase found 11 “INOPERATIVE CATERING EQUIPMENT” stickers, investigators said. A search of his iCloud account reportedly revealed four additional instances between January and August 2023 in which Thompson recorded a minor while using the restroom on an airplane.
Those seen in the recordings were 7, 9, 11 and 14 years old at the time, investigators said. More than 50 images of an unaccompanied 9-year-old were also found in his report, including close-ups of her face as she slept in her seat.
The 14-year-old’s family has also filed a lawsuit against Thomson and the airline.
Police also say they found “images of AI-generated child pornography” on Thompson’s iCloud account.
American Airlines said in a statement that it takes the accusation very seriously. They also said the flight attendant was “immediately excluded from duty following the incident in September 2023” and has not worked since.
“They do not reflect our airline or our core mission of caring for people,” the statement said. “We have fully cooperated with law enforcement authorities in the investigation because nothing is more important than the safety and security of our customers and team.”