Thomas Markle Sr., 82, the estranged father of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, was taken into custody in Florida on allegations tied to child sexual abuse material, according to reporting attributed to the Daily Mail and other outlets in a Western Journal roundup. Markle has denied the accusations, the article said.
What outlets say happened
The Daily Mail was cited as reporting that federal agents arrested Markle in the Tampa area on Friday morning in a case that began with material discovered in the Philippines and extended to storage units in Mexico and California.
A post from the Washington Post’s social account on Nov. 6 said federal agents seized 78 items from California storage units, including slides, film negatives, and books.
A message attributed to the U.S. Department of Justice’s official account on Nov. 6 stated that Thomas Wayne Markle, 82, of Lakeland, Florida, was arrested on a federal criminal complaint alleging possession of child sexual abuse material, including sexually explicit photographs of himself with prepubescent girls, and said the statutory maximum sentence would be 20 years if convicted. DailyHeadlines.com has not independently verified that post.
How the probe allegedly started
The Western Journal article says the inquiry accelerated after Markle’s son reported finding a large volume of child sexual abuse images at the family’s former home in Cebu, the Philippines, leading Philippine authorities to recover images and electronic devices.
The Guardian was cited for quoting the Philippine interior minister, who described Markle as a “possible sex offender of the grossest kind.”
The Daily Mail, via a social post, claimed Philippine police found more than 7,000 images involving children of various backgrounds.
Searches in Mexico and California
According to the Los Angeles Times, as referenced in the Western Journal piece, Mexican authorities searched a storage unit near Rosarito that Markle had rented and seized computers, storage devices, tapes, and other materials.
In California, federal authorities searched two Los Angeles–area storage units long rented by Markle, and court filings described the recovery of images that prosecutors say depict him with minors, the Daily Mail reported.
Markle’s condition and response
The Western Journal article says Markle, who uses a wheelchair following a leg amputation after a medical emergency in the Philippines, had returned to the U.S. earlier this year and was staying at a senior care facility in Lakeland, Florida. A social post by James Goddard claimed he was arrested at that facility.
Markle has previously called the allegations false and stated he never possessed such material, according to the Western Journal account. He is expected to appear in federal court, that article said.
Context on Meghan Markle
According to the Western Journal article, Meghan Markle said last month she was deeply distressed by the allegations, referenced sharing a 2018 letter with London police, and said she kept her father away from her children to protect them. DailyHeadlines.com has not independently confirmed those statements.
All claims above are attributed to the named outlets and social posts. Allegations have not been tested in court, and Markle is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
