Two people have been identified as suspects in the reported ongoing sexual abuse of a Riverside girl now under the age of 14 that lasted about five years, according to authorities.
On Jan. 2, Riverside Police Department detectives began investigating a report of ongoing sexual abuse of a child that had began around 2020, when the girl was under the age of 10, according to Riverside Police Department spokesperson Officer Ryan Railsback.
The abuse stopped around the time it was reported to authorities, according to Railsback. The perpetrators knew the girl through familial relationships, he said.
The detectives identified their primary suspect as a 55-year-old Riverside man. He is a registered sex offender who was previously convicted of sexual abuse of a minor and was booked into a Riverside County jail on multiple charges, including aggravated sexual assault of a minor and lewd and lascivious acts upon a child under the age of 10.
A second suspect was identified as a 46-year-old woman who previously lived in Riverside. A warrant for her arrest was issued, and through assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service, she was located and arrested by Marshals in New York on March 6. She is still in New York awaiting extradition proceedings for transfer to Riverside County. She also faces multiple counts of sexual abuse against a child, according to the news release.
“Through the meticulous work done by our investigators and METRO team, we were able to identify and arrest two individuals for horrific crimes against children,” said Riverside Police Capt. Chad Milby. He oversees the department’s investigations division.
Anyone with additional information related to the investigation was urged to contact Detective Vanessa Castillo at (951) 353-7609 or VCCastillo@RiversideCA.gov
Anonymous tips can be submitted through the Riverside Police Department’s “Atlas 1” mobile app using the secure “Send a Message” feature. The app is available for download on Apple and Android devices.
