A case of child sexual abuse has surfaced in Texas, USA where a 29-year-old man named Arthur Hector Fernandez III was arrested for allegedly filming himself and six other men gang-raping two toddlers in a public restroom of a busy shopping mall. He then posted four such videos on the dark web. Australian Centre spotted these videos to Counter Child Exploitation, and the children’s mothers identified him.
The arrested accused is a shop worker at the Galleria Mall in Houston and the mothers of the children he raped also work at the mall. Sometimes the women brought their children to work because they were called in to work on their off days or sometimes they could not afford childcare. During such instances, they had left their kids with Arthur believing that he would look after them after he offered to babysit them. One woman works with him in the same shop, while the other woman works in the adjacent shop.
According to reports, a video filmed by the accused showed a male child lying on a changing table in a restroom stall and an unknown man was assaulting the kid. Accused Arthur recorded this act on his phone. The other child they raped in this act was a female child. She was also seen on a table in the changing rooms when multiple culprits raped her one after the other. Arrested accused Arthur Hector Fernandez III was spotted raping the children in at least two videos, according to the FBI.
The FBI successfully identified Fernandez by closely examining the clothing and accessories featured in the incriminating videos. Subsequently, investigators reached out to the relatives of the two toddlers, who not only recognized the items but also confirmed Fernandez’s identity.
After finding the videos on the dark web, the FBI ran the faces of the children through an open-source image search and traced down one of the mothers. The woman identified two silver bracelets regularly worn by Fernandez. With the help of that woman, the FBI identified the second child and his mother, and the second woman also identified Fernandez from the photos. Investigators then found photos of Fernandez with the same bracelets on his Instagram page.
In the case of the first child, a relative informed the FBI that due to an unscheduled workday and the unavailability of a babysitter, they brought the child to their workplace. Fernandez volunteered to take care of the child during this particular instance, marking the sole occasion when the child was alone with Fernandez, as outlined in court documents.
As per the official records, the documented incident is dated May 6, and it probably took place in a restroom at the Galleria. This facility encompasses public restrooms, private stalls, and equipped changing tables.
A family member of the second child shared a similar circumstance when they brought their child to work. Fernandez extended an offer to babysit, assuring them to stroll around the mall with the child and provide entertainment. The family member additionally mentioned that Fernandez was with their child on two separate occasions without their presence – first in December 2022 and then on 31st October 2023, during which he took the child trick-or-treating.
The FBI reported discovering incriminating evidence tying Fernandez to the crimes at his residence. Specifically, investigators noted a pair of white, low-top Converse All-Star shoes visible on the floor in one of the videos. Subsequently, during a search at his address, three identical pairs of these shoes were found. Additionally, law enforcement confiscated numerous electronic devices containing sexual abuse material.
He was arrested on December 18 in Kingwood, Texas, and has been behind bars ever since. After seeing the ‘overwhelming’ and ‘revolting’ evidence, the court put Arthur in jail until his trial.
