Investigators are combing through digital evidence following the arrest of a foster parent in western Manitoba.
Brandon police were tipped off by the National Child Exploitation Centre earlier this month, about someone who was potentially creating child sexual abuse material.
Their investigation led them to a 37-year-old man – who along with his common law partner – were foster parents and ran a daycare out of their home.
Officers moved in on the home on Monday and seized a number of devices. The six children in the home were also safeguarded.
Brandon Police Chief Tyler Bates says they’re still in the early days of their investigation, but says it’s possible that the children in the suspect’s care were not the only victims.
“The information that is obtained from those electronic devices will speak to the gravity and scope of the abuse of the children within the home,” Bates said. “But it is possible that there are potentially other victims as well.”
The 37-year-old man has been charged with several counts related to child pornography, along with assault, sexual assault and sexual interference.
Bates says the parents of the children at the daycare were also notified.
“You can imagine the horror and the shock of the parents that learned of the criminal instances of this magnitude at that residence and how concerning that would be,” Bates said.
