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Philippine authorities did not rule out investigating Thomas Markle Jr. this Thursday, as they already consider him a "person of interest" in the child pornography case opened against his father, Thomas Markle Sr., who is under investigation following the discovery of child sexual abuse material at his home in Cebu (central Philippines).
"There are indications that the son is also involved in the crime," stated Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla in a press conference, clarifying that for now "he is not considered a suspect," although he warned that "accusing only the father is only half of the police work."
Although it was Markle Jr. himself who turned the material over to authorities in late October, the police do not rule out his involvement, as several witnesses claim to have seen minors being taken to the house, from which "ring lights," common for filming videos, could be seen, Remulla indicated.
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The 60-year-old son justified those lights by citing the videos he records for his social media, but Filipino investigators reviewed his profiles and verified that "no minors appear there," Remulla explained in statements to the media.
The secretary, who had access to the content, detailed that nearly "7,500 photographs and one video, all of minors, boys and girls, of Asian, Latino, and European descent," with ages around "10 or 11 years old," have been recovered.
"It is something that you cannot get out of your head after having seen it," lamented Remulla, who said the material is "one of the most deplorable displays of impunity regarding sexual activity" he has ever seen and that it is "truly disturbing."
The Philippine National Police (PNP) is now trying to determine if the devices belong to the 82-year-old Markle Sr. and has requested help from the FBI for the investigation. "The six phones come from the United States," and it is necessary to verify "the SIM cards and their registration," the secretary explained.
The investigation began on October 23 when Markle Jr. reported having found child abuse images and videos among the belongings his father left in Cebu, where he lived until mid-year.
That same day, the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, stated in a letter sent to the British media outlet 'The Sun' that she had known about these accusations against her father since 2018, after British police informed her, which is why she cut off the relationship and prevented him from having contact with her children.
Estranged from her father since then, the Duchess is expected to visit the European Parliament next week, along with Prince Harry, to warn about the dangers minors face on social media, according to the media outlet Politico.
[Publicidad]