Mother charged with sexual abuse of toddler in Edmonton area after FBI tip

A Strathcona County toddler has been rescued from suspected sexual exploitation, and the child’s mother has been charged, police said.

The child was rescued on Saturday after police received a tip from the FBI in the United States 48 hours earlier detailing prolific and ongoing sexual abuse of a young child in Alberta.

The alleged sexual abuse was uncovered after the arrest of Brian Davis, 30, in Yuba City, Calif., in October. He’s accused of performing sexual acts on a victim under the age of 10 and possession of obscene matter involving a manor in sexual acts with the intent to distribute, ALERT’s Internet Child Exploitation unit said.

Investigators discovered the man had been communicating through the social media platform Kik with a woman somewhere in the Edmonton region.

The chats between the two showed graphic sexual abuse of the woman’s child, ALERT said.

The 35-year-old mother of the child has been charged with:

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  Sexual exploitation;
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  Sexual interference;
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  Arrangement to commit a sexual offence against a child;
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  Making child pornography;
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  Distribution of child pornography;
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  Accessing child pornography; and
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  Possession of child pornography.

The mother’s name has not been released to protect the identity of the toddler.

The woman has been released from custody and is scheduled to appear in Sherwood Park Provincial Court on Feb. 22.

The toddler was taken to hospital for evaluation, and is receiving help from a variety of specialized agencies. Investigators say the toddler’s father was unaware of the alleged offences, and has been fully cooperative with the investigation.

Police will hold a press conference on Tuesday afternoon to provide more information on the case.