Thomas Markle Sr., the estranged father of the Duchess of Sussex, has reportedly been arrested by the FBI in connection with an alleged cache of child sexual abuse material, according to Our News Outlet. The claims have not been independently verified.
Federal agents reportedly went to the 82-year-old’s care home in Lakeland, Florida, after alleged abusive material was discovered at locations linked to Markle in the Philippines and Mexico in recent weeks.
A source cited by Our News Outlet said Markle was arrested on suspicion of possessing child sexual abuse material, although authorities have not publicly detailed the allegations.
The reported arrest in the United States came days after the outlet said it alerted federal investigators to material allegedly found in a storage unit Markle rented near his former home in Rosarito, Mexico.
Separately, Philippine authorities are reportedly considering charges after alleged child-abuse images were discovered at a former Markle residence there last month.
Markle, who uses a wheelchair after having a leg amputated in the Philippines last year, moved to Florida in the spring following several years abroad.
He had recently moved into a senior-living facility that provides dementia care. The residence is estimated to cost about $3,900 a month.
The reported investigations began after alleged child sexual abuse material was discovered in two countries where Markle spent much of his retirement. Authorities have not publicly confirmed the full scope of the probes.
Thomas Markle Sr., the Duchess of Sussex’s estranged father, is reportedly facing an investigation after alleged child sexual abuse material was linked to properties in the Philippines and Mexico
The reported arrest came days after Our News Outlet said it alerted the FBI to alleged material in a storage unit near Markle’s former home in Rosarito, Mexico
Federal agents reportedly went to Markle’s care home in Lakeland, Florida, in connection with an alleged possession case
Markle’s son, Thomas Markle Jr., 60, reportedly said he found one collection at the family’s former home in Cebu, Philippines. He also claimed to have informed the FBI about two storage units in Los Angeles.
“I dread to think what the FBI might find, especially given what has already been found in the Philippines and Mexico,” Markle Jr. told The Sun.
The investigation escalated when Mexican police reportedly searched the Rosarito storage unit over the weekend, one day after Our News Outlet said it notified the FBI about the alleged contents.
Guardia Nacional officers identifying themselves as state sex-crimes investigators were seen entering the 5-by-10-foot unit, located about three miles from Markle’s former home in the coastal resort town.
The team reportedly included forensic-computing specialists, a crime-scene investigator and officials from the Baja California attorney general’s office. Witnesses said investigators examined boxes inside the unit with flashlights.
According to an onlooker cited by the outlet, one investigator reacted with the Spanish phrase “Ay cabron” while examining the material.
A search warrant obtained by Our News Outlet said investigators were authorized to look for alleged child sexual abuse material and evidence related to suspected aggravated human trafficking.
The items reportedly taken included a computer, USB drives, VHS tapes and magazines. The unit was then sealed with an official seizure notice, according to a source.
The Duchess of Sussex previously said she was “deeply distressed” by allegations involving her father in the Philippines. She has not addressed the reported developments in Mexico
Mexican authorities reportedly searched the Rosarito unit after Our News Outlet alerted the FBI. Officers entered the 5-by-10-foot space shortly after midnight
Mexican Guardia Nacional investigators were reportedly seen searching Thomas Markle Sr.’s storage unit in Rosarito after allegations about its contents emerged
The search at Baja Storage, a gated facility about 10 miles south of the US border, followed the reported discovery of photographs and magazines allegedly depicting sexual abuse inside Unit 22.
After the search, the storage container was locked and covered with Guardia Nacional notices reading “Aseguramiento de inmuebles,” or “seizure of property.”
Our News Outlet said its reporting team located the unit while examining Markle’s former life in the gated expatriate community of San Antonio del Mar.
The unit was reportedly rented to Markle in 2017. He allegedly fell behind on payments two years ago and moved to the Philippines in early 2025 without clearing out the contents.
Employees and the owner of the storage business reportedly said they were unaware of the alleged material and were shocked by its discovery.
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Markle has strongly denied wrongdoing. After the allegations became public, he told Our News Outlet: “I had no storage units in Rosarito!”
The unit reportedly contained family keepsakes, letters and photographs, along with images of unclothed Asian women—some appearing young—and books and magazines that allegedly sexualized children.
Investigators also reportedly found strips of 35mm negatives showing voyeuristic images of children at a beach, as well as VHS tapes bearing titles including “Boys – Brother and Sister – Russian XX” and “Manila Nites.”
About 20 boxes were reportedly found in the Rosarito unit, including books and magazines allegedly depicting or discussing child sexual abuse
One undated photograph reportedly shows Markle on a bed with a young Asian woman. The identities and ages of the people pictured have not been established
The storage space also reportedly held old computers, hard drives and a paper plate marked “DARK WEB” in red ink alongside several URLs. The contents of the drives and tapes have not been disclosed.
Our News Outlet said its report prompted an investigation involving officials in the United States and Mexico.
FBI personnel based in Southern California are also reportedly involved because they coordinate law-enforcement operations with Mexican authorities.
According to the warrant obtained by Our News Outlet, Mexican prosecutors asked Judge Estefany Moreno Gutierrez of Baja California’s Judicial Branch to authorize the search during a closed hearing on October 30.
The document said officers were permitted to search for and secure alleged child sexual abuse material in printed form, along with USB drives, camera memory cards and mobile phones.
It also authorized investigators to look for communications equipment—including phones, laptops, computers and tablets—that might contain videos with explicit sexual content.
Markle, a former Hollywood lighting director, moved to Rosarito, a coastal community popular with American retirees, in 2011.
A paper plate marked “DARK WEB” in red ink, alongside several URLs, was reportedly photographed inside Markle’s rented storage unit in Rosarito
General views of Thomas Markle’s former home in Rosarito, Mexico, about 10 miles south of the US border
During his time in Rosarito, his relationship with his daughter, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, deteriorated.
Markle later moved to the Philippines in early 2025.
Authorities in the Southeast Asian country are conducting a separate investigation after his son reportedly claimed to have found “hundreds, if not thousands” of suspected child-sex images among boxes shipped there by his father.
Police in Cebu later said they had found “explicit content,” including footage allegedly involving male and female minors, on digital devices recovered from the boxes.
Markle has rejected the allegations concerning the Philippines, describing them as “sick lies” allegedly fabricated by his son.
He has acknowledged paying for sex in the Philippines but has insisted that he never had sex with anyone under 18.
“I never had sex with anyone under the age of 18,” he told Our News Outlet last week. “I like Asian women, but that is not a crime.”
Following the allegations, the Duchess of Sussex said she was “deeply distressed at the news that has come to light” and that her thoughts were with any children who may have been harmed during the Philippine investigation.
She has not publicly addressed the reported developments in Mexico.
Meghan first learned of allegations concerning her father after receiving a letter through London’s Metropolitan Police in 2019.
The letter, reportedly written by Markle’s late first wife, Roslyn Loveless, claimed that he had admitted traveling to the Far East to have sex with young girls.
Loveless reportedly wrote: “I questioned Thomas Sr. He denied the accusation but stated that he went to the Philippines and Thailand because 12-year-olds are legal there.”
