Update: Another child rescued, more charges laid

Edmonton… Another child has been rescued and another arrest has been made in relation to an ALERT Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) investigation into a Strathcona County mother.

On February 9, 2023, ICE rescued a school-aged child in Edmonton who was allegedly being sexually abused by their father.

The 36-year-old father has been charged with a number of child exploitation offences. The father had allegedly been conversing online with a 35-year-old Strathcona County woman, whom ICE had charged earlier in the month for child exploitation offences committed against their own toddler-aged child.

On February 7, 2023, we released information regarding a toddler from Strathcona County being rescued from suspected sexual exploitation and ALERT’s Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) unit charging the child’s mother. Click here to read the full news release.

These new offences were uncovered during a preliminary forensic analysis of computers seized from the Strathcona County woman.

Forensic analysis, which still remains at its early stages, has also revealed new offences against the Strathcona County woman. On February 28, 2023, she was charged with:

• Sexual assault;
• Sexual interference;
• Sexual exploitation;
• Making child pornography x2;
• Possession of child pornography;
• Accessing child pornography;
• Counsel to commit sexual assault x2;
• Counsel to commit sexual interference x2;
• Counsel to commit sexual exploitation x2;
• Agreement or arrangement to commit sexual offence against a child; and
• Distribute child pornography.

She now faces a total of 24 charges relating to child sexual abuse material. She was released and is scheduled to appear in court on March 22, 2023 in Sherwood Park.

Charges against the 36-year-old Edmonton father include:

• Sexual assault;
• Sexual interference;
• Making child pornography;
• Accessing child pornography;
• Distributing child pornography; and
• Possession of child pornography.

The suspect is not being named in order to protect the identity of the victim. He has been released from custody and is scheduled to appear in an Edmonton court on March 21, 2023.

ICE’s investigation is still in its primary stages and the unit fears they may uncover additional victims and is frantically combing through digital evidence to explore the possibility of other children at-risk.

Both children are receiving help from a variety of specialized support services, including Zebra Center for Child Protection and Edmonton Police Services’ Child at Risk Response Team.

A number of partner agencies were involved in this investigation including Strathcona County RCMP, Fort Saskatchewan RCMP, Edmonton Police Service, ALERT Surveillance teams, FBI, and U.S. Homeland Security Investigations.

Anyone with information about this case or any child exploitation situation is asked to contact their local police or to report their concern anonymously at www.cybertip.ca.

ALERT was established and is funded by the Alberta Government and is a compilation of the province’s most sophisticated law enforcement resources committed to tackling serious and organized crime.