LOS ANGELES, Feb. 4 (UPI) -- A family has filed a claim against the California Highway Patrol after photos of a daughter killed in a car accident repeatedly appeared in e-mail.

The Los Angeles Times reported that 18-year-old Nikki Catsouras was killed on Oct. 31 in a car accident in Lake Forest, Calif. Gruesome photos of her decapitated body began appearing on relatives' e-mail accounts just days after the accident. The family later learned that the photos had been taken by CHP investigators and had been shown on various Web sites, often alongside pornography.

The Times reported that when the Catsouras family confronted the CHP, officers acknowledged that the photos had been improperly released to the public.

"There are just a lot of ugly people doing ugly things," said Lesli Catsouras, Nikki's mother.

In the claim, filed with the California Victim Compensation and Government Claims Board, the Catsouras family requests $20 million for emotional distress and punitive damages.