A man from Ohio, aged 32, has been accused by the RCMP of soliciting sexually explicit images and videos from a 10-year-old girl in Manitoba. Corporal Emmie Clements of the Manitoba Integrated Child Exploitation Unit highlighted the alarming nature of the case in a press conference on Monday, emphasizing the risks posed by online predators to vulnerable children and adolescents.
The investigation began in December 2025 when a family member of the girl discovered concerning messages exchanged with an individual posing as a teenage boy. The perpetrator initiated contact with the girl on a popular social media platform before transitioning to direct text communication. While the specific platform was not disclosed by Manitoba RCMP, documents from U.S. court proceedings suggest it was Snapchat.
The man engaged in grooming behavior, coercing the girl to share explicit images and videos of herself while reciprocating with explicit content. The duration of their communication remains unknown. Cpl. Clements refrained from solely attributing blame to the platform, stressing that accountability lies with individuals exhibiting malicious intent towards minors.
Following collaboration with Homeland Security investigators at the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa, the suspect, Cortney Arden Wise III, was apprehended during a search of his residence in Wadsworth, Ohio, on February 12. Wise faces charges including sexual exploitation of children, receiving and possessing child pornography. He is currently detained in the U.S. as investigations into potential additional victims continue, with no charges pending in Canada.
During a detention hearing at the U.S. District Court for northern Ohio, evidence revealed that Wise had misrepresented himself as a 15-year-old boy. The girl, using her grandmother’s device, created a false-age Snapchat account, wherein she complied with Wise’s requests for explicit content. Law enforcement previously received reports of Wise engaging in similar predatory behavior with children in 2015 and 2024, along with a conviction for telephone harassment in 2016.
Cpl. Clements emphasized the imperative for parents and caregivers to educate children about online safety, given the prevalent risks faced by minors on the internet. Lindsay Lobb, from the Canadian Centre for Child Protection, noted a surge in reports related to online luring, underscoring the urgent need for coordinated efforts to safeguard children from unregulated digital spaces that enable harmful interactions.
In the wake of this distressing incident, the RCMP and child protection advocates advocate for increased vigilance and proactive measures to enhance child safety in the digital realm.
