Meghan Markle’s father, Thomas Markle Sr., is reportedly under investigation after suspected child sexual abuse material was allegedly found among belongings at his former home in the Philippines. According to reports, the material was turned over to authorities by his son, Thomas Markle Jr., who said he found it while sorting through storage boxes.
According to The Sun, Thomas Markle Jr. discovered the alleged material while searching through several boxes stored at his father’s residence in Cebu.
The report said he later submitted a sworn statement to Philippine authorities and contacted US agencies, including the FBI and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC).
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What does the report claim?
According to The Sun, Thomas Markle Jr. initially found a mobile phone that allegedly contained explicit material of children. The report further alleged that additional material was also discovered on hard drives and in storage boxes containing family belongings.
According to the Sun, Thomas Jr. told friends he was “shocked and disgusted” after he discovered a 15-minute film of naked girls on an abandoned LG cell phone while looking for a phone for his girlfriend's father.
{{/usCountry}}According to the Sun, Thomas Jr. told friends he was “shocked and disgusted” after he discovered a 15-minute film of naked girls on an abandoned LG cell phone while looking for a phone for his girlfriend's father.
{{/usCountry}}The victims, who were apparently "no older" than 10 or 11, were also shown engaging in "sex acts" in the film. The material also included three illegal pictures of females of a similar age. According to the publication, one purported photograph was obtained from a laptop screen, and Thomas Jr. allegedly identified Thomas Sr.'s former Rosarita, Mexico, home.
The outlet said that pictures of a man having sex with a "very young Asian girl" were also hidden among the pages of an old book called “Lewis Carroll Photographs Of Children: Four Nude Studies.”
Thomas Jr. told the outlet, “When I found this material I was horrified and I had no option but to report my dad.”
The publication claimed Thomas Markle Jr. contacted multiple authorities after making the discovery. It also reported that investigators in the Philippines have formed a task force led by the Women and Children’s Protection Center to examine the evidence, while the FBI has reportedly acknowledged receiving his affidavit.
Family estrangement predates latest allegations
The reported investigation comes after years of public estrangement between Meghan Markle and her father.
Thomas Markle Sr. has had no public relationship with the Duchess of Sussex since before her 2018 wedding to Prince Harry. He did not attend the royal wedding after suffering health problems and later became involved in several public controversies.
An unnamed source described by The Sun as being close to Meghan said the reported investigation may explain why she has remained estranged from her father since 2018.
According to the report, Thomas Markle Sr., 82, left the Philippines earlier this year following a stroke that reportedly resulted in the amputation of his left leg. He is now said to be living in a rehabilitation facility in Florida.
Thomas Markle Jr. told The Sun that discovering the alleged material left him “horrified” and that he believed he had no choice but to report it to authorities.