Child sex exploitation: 10-year-old Manitoba girl lured online, groomed by U.S. man, RCMP say
Posted May 11, 2026 10:51 am.
Last Updated May 11, 2026 10:23 pm.
Police say a 10-year-old Manitoba girl was sexually exploited online by a 32-year-old man from the United States.
Manitoba RCMP allege the man was posing as a teenage boy when he met the child on a social media platform, and then groomed her.
Authorities say the conversation later moved to text messaging, and the accused and victim sent each other sexually explicit material.
Police were notified in December 2025 after one of the girl’s family members found out. RCMP say a review of her electronic devices showed the accused lived in the U.S.
The man from Wadsworth, Ohio, was arrested on Feb. 12 by members of Homeland Security Investigations. Police say the suspect’s electronic devices were seized, and they allegedly contained evidence of the communication with the Manitoba girl.
“This incident is a terrible reminder of the dangers that lurk on the internet, especially for children and teenagers,” said Cpl. Emmie Clements of the Manitoba Integrated Child Exploitation Unit. “It only takes a few moments for bad actors to make contact with their next victims. We encourage parents and caregivers to educate their children on how to stay safe online and to be watchful over them.”
“Much of this is attributed to adults being allowed to intersect with children in largely unregulated spaces,” said Lindsay Lobb, the director of operations for support services at the Canadian Centre for Child Protection. “Parents are doing their best. We know that more needs to be done. There needs to be a coordinated approach and a shared responsibility to protecting children online.”
Police would not reveal which social media platform was used, which they say is to protect the identify of the victim. They say that’s the same reason they waited several months before alerting the public and media.
Lobb says Snapchat, Instagram and TikTok are commonly used to lure victims.
Cortney Arden Wise III was charged with sexual exploitation of children and possession of child pornography. The allegations against him have not been tested in court. He remains in custody in Ohio. Mounties say he is not facing charges in Canada.
Authorities believe there could be other victims, but they’re unsure if there are more victims in Canada.
“We have to have the evidence to prosecute someone,” explained Clements. “We have to know exactly specific things, like username, the platform which they were using. And then sometimes, what we are facing as well is we don’t have access to the communication sometimes. Very often, parents or caregivers or children are scared of the consequences that may lead to these offences, because very often they blame themselves. So basically, they delete the conversation.
“So if they delete the conversation, we are not able to go with if they don’t have any usernames or profile names or conversation that leads to this. So if we have all these, we have strong chances that we can convict someone.”
The Canadian Centre for Child Protection says it’s seeing an alarming increase in reported offences.
“The reports we are receiving have risen three times over the past years: from 750 in 2020 to 3,300 in 2025,” Lobb said.
The federal government’s culture minister said last month Ottawa is “very seriously” considering a social media ban for kids, and Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew has said his government will move on the idea for those under 16.
Lobb says the Canadian Centre for Child Protection is supportive of legislation delaying a child’s access to social media.
