BALTIMORE Federal agents are seeking to gain access to several Facebook and email accounts, some with the name of slain Monroe teen Phylicia Barnes, saying it is part of an investigation into child pornography and sexual exploitation of children.

The Baltimore Sun is reporting that the FBI filed applications for search warrants in May, seeking access to the account.

The applications were unsealed last week, the Baltimore newspaper reported.

State officials, who are leading the investigation into the murder of Barnes, who was 16 and a senior at Union Academy, declined comment. So did FBI representatives.

Phylicia Barnes' father, Russell, and her half brother Bryan told WJZ-TV of Baltimore that the effort to gain access to the Facebook and email accounts is an effort to conduct a thorough investigation.

"They're exploring every possible reason," Bryan Barnes told the Baltimore Sun.

The Sun is reporting that federal agents want access to four Facebook accounts; six Yahoo email accounts, including two with Phylicia's name; and one America Online email account. According to the Associated Press, three email accounts include Phylicia Barnes' first name. The Baltimore Sun is reporting that four accounts appear to be connected with men in the Baltimore area. One of those men was questioned previously by police in the case.

Barnes was staying at her half sister's northwest Baltimore apartment over the Christmas break when she disappeared. She was last seen Dec. 28, and police say her cell phone was not used after that. Baltimore, Maryland state and federal law enforcement officers conducted a number of searches without finding a trace of the Monroe teen.

Finally, her body was found floating in the Susquehanna River in April. Police say the case is a homicide, but they have declined to reveal how Barnes was killed, saying it might compromise the investigation.

Special Agent Kelly Bell of the FBI would not say if any of the applications for access to the accounts were granted.

Russell and Bryan Barnes said the family was told in May about the FBI's plans to check the email and Facebook accounts.

Legal experts told the Baltimore Sun that the child pornography/sexual exploitation aspect of the case doesn't necessarily mean investigators believe Barnes' death was a sex crime, but it indicates that sexually explicit material discovered in the case is being used to let authorities see the email and Facebook accounts.

Friends of the Barnes family and others interested in the case gathered last week on the steps of Baltimore City Hall, marking the six-month anniversary of the girl's disappearance with a memorial service.