Thomas Markle Sr., the 82-year-old estranged father of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, was reportedly arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation on Friday at a senior living facility in Lakeland, Florida, over alleged possession of child sexual abuse material, according to reports from the Daily Mail, the Associated Press and CBS News.
The Daily Mail, which first reported the arrest, said FBI agents took Markle into custody at Maravida Senior Living, a specialized elderly care facility in North Lakeland. CBS News reported that three sources familiar with the matter said he had been arrested in connection with the allegations, and people familiar with the matter told the AP the same. A Justice Department official familiar with the matter confirmed the arrest to Reuters but did not state a reason.
The arrest follows an investigation in the Philippines, where police said alleged child sexual abuse images were found at Markle's former home in Cebu. His son, Thomas Markle Jr., 60, has said he found several boxes of material at the home and turned them in to authorities. The Daily Mail also reported that material was found in a storage unit Markle rented near his former home in Rosarito, Mexico.
Markle has denied the allegations, calling them "sick lies." In an interview with the Daily Mail, he acknowledged paying for sex with adult women in the Philippines but said he had never been intimate with anyone under the age of 18.
Philippine authorities named Thomas Markle Jr. a "person of interest" in the investigation, Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said, while stressing that he was not being treated as a suspect. Markle Jr. had reported his father to authorities after claiming to have discovered the material at his father's Philippines home.
Meghan said in an Oct. 23 statement that she was "deeply distressed" by the allegations, calling them "sickening," and said she had cut her father out of her life almost a decade ago to protect her children, Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5. "My thoughts are with any children who may have been harmed," she said.
In October, the FBI said it was aware of the allegations and would provide support to Philippine authorities as appropriate and "investigate any related allegations of federal violations of U.S. law." USA TODAY said it had reached out to the FBI for comment; the Duchess of Sussex had no comment. This is a developing story.
