A 40-year-old man from Queen Anne was arrested on Feb. 13 following a Seattle Police Department and Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force investigation spanning several states and even outside of the country.
The investigation began as a detective in the SPD ICAC Unit reviewed a CyberTip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in 2024 and worked with other law enforcement agencies to dig into the cases.
Parents of one of the victims in another state reviewed their child’s cell phone and discovered the child was being sexually exploited by a man believed to be living in Seattle. Sexually explicit images and videos were shared with the suspect. The parents reported the activity to local police who then referred the case and information to SPD.
Through search warrants, SPD detectives obtained records from internet service providers, online file-sharing services, and a messaging app to identify the suspect. During the investigation, they found sexually explicit conversations, still images and videos linked to child victims.
The victims included a 14-year-old girl and 15-year-old girl, both living in other states, and a 17-year-old girl living in another country. The investigation revealed one of the children was victimized for three years.
On the morning of Feb. 13, a search warrant was executed at the 40-year-old suspect’s home by the Seattle Police Department’s Community Response Group. Evidence was recovered. The suspect was arrested for three counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, four counts of communication with a minor for immoral purposes – electronic communication, as well as viewing depictions of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct and possession of depictions of minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
He was booked in the King County Jail.
Incident Number: 2024-337642