State police said Friday they believe there may be more victims from a newly discovered child pornography, molestation case, and they are seeking information from adults or children who may have had contact with a suspect who lives in Spanaway.
The suspect, Christopher M. Dupea, 20, was being held without bail in the Pierce County Jail on charges of possession and distribution of child pornography.
"Because of media reports about the arrest, we got a call from someone in Arizona who'd had online contact with Mr. Dupea," Lt. Ron Mead, commander of the Washington State Patrol's Missing and Exploited Children's Task Force, said in a statement Friday.
Mead said Dupea used the screen name “ChrisD,” and might have used other names as well. Detectives are concerned about live contacts with potential victims in the Pierce County area.
A second suspect, Myriah L. Moreland, 20, of Montesano, remains in the Grays Harbor County Jail. Information obtained by detectives indicates she had engaged in sexual acts involving an infant son. She is facing charges of sexual exploitation of a minor and possession/distribution of child pornography and is currently being held on $20,000 bail. Additional charges are pending.
Detectives praised the online chat service, Skout.com, for quickly bringing the case to light.
“This service did absolutely the right thing and we appreciate it,” Mead said. “They monitored how their system was being used, and took action when they found something that didn’t look right.”
Anyone with information about possible additional victims should call (360) 507-6300.
In a statement Thursday night, the State Patrol said online exchanges between Dupea and Moreland began on a social networking website and continued with text messaging. The “online conversation also included information the female had engaged in sexual acts involving her infant son,” the statement said.
"The 6-month-old infant was placed into the custody of Child Protective Services," the statement said.