Police searching for additional victims after man charged with child luring through Snapchat
A 53-year-old man is accused of luring teen girls on social media, and police believe there may be additional victims.
In March 2023 the Edmonton Police Service got a report that a girl had been sexually assaulted.
Police say a subsequent investigation showed Horacio Benitez, 53, had befriended two 14-year-old girls and a 12-year-old girl on Snapchat using the username @used2bc.
Benitez reportedly offered to buy vapes, marijuana, and alcohol for the girls in exchange for nude pictures, video, and in-person sexual contact.
The girls are now receiving support from the Zebra Child & Youth Advocacy Centre.
Benitez has been charged with:
- Two counts of sexual assault;
- Two counts of sexual interference;
- Two counts of invitation to sexual touching;
- Two counts of luring of a child;
- Two counts of making child pornography;
- Possessing child pornography;
- Making sexually explicit material available to a child;
- Two counts of obtaining sexual service of a child for consideration; and
- Two counts of distributing cannabis to youth – person under 18 years
He is scheduled to appear in court on April 2.
"We are concerned that other young females may have been potentially lured by Benitez through Snapchat," Det. Nicole Davie with the EPS Child Protection Section said in a news release. "We believe that there may be other victims out there. If you have been in contact with Benitez, we encourage you to come forward and report it to police."
Anyone with information is asked to call EPS at 780-423-4567 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
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