A shocking incident has come to light in Texas, where a man has been arrested for sexually assaulting two toddlers in a mall bathroom.
Arthur Fernandez III, who worked at a nearby kiosk, allegedly took advantage of his access to the children and filmed the assaults. The videos were then posted online, leading to his arrest.
According to court documents, Fernandez had access to the toddlers because their mothers, who worked at the mall, occasionally brought them along when they couldn’t find childcare.
Taking advantage of this situation, Fernandez would offer to watch the children and then take them into a bathroom where he allegedly assaulted them. Shockingly, the videos posted online revealed the presence of multiple perpetrators, with up to seven people heard making vulgar comments and assaulting the children.
The videos caught the attention of an Australian group dedicated to investigating child sex crimes, who promptly alerted the FBI. With their assistance, one of the children was identified, and the mother was contacted. She was able to identify Fernandez through his jewelry and shoes seen in the videos. The second child was found to be related to Fernandez’s former boyfriend, and that child’s mother also identified him based on his clothing. However, the identities of the other perpetrators seen in the videos remain unknown.
“The perpetrators of these crimes are family members, teachers, and members of the community. Oftentimes folks are looking for the monster in the white van, but often it’s the person you know,” Torrence White with the FBI said.
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The successful resolution of this horrifying case highlights the importance of global teamwork in combating child exploitation. The FBI, working in collaboration with international partners, was able to identify the victims, apprehend the perpetrator, and gather evidence from the raid on Fernandez’s home. Torrence White from the FBI emphasized that the fight against child predators requires collective effort, as they often turn out to be individuals known to the victims and their families.
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