Two previously undisclosed California storage units rented by Thomas Markle Sr are reportedly set to be searched for suspected child abuse material. The units are said to contain belongings once owned by his daughter, Meghan Markle, as well as memorabilia from his own life and career.
The Duchess of Sussex’s half-brother, Thomas Markle Jr, 60, has reportedly provided the FBI with the locations of the two units at a Los Angeles storage facility.
‘I dread to think what they might find,’ he said last night, as investigations continue in the Philippines and Mexico.
The Daily Mail recently discovered a collection of alleged child abuse images inside a storage locker rented by Markle Sr in Rosarito, Mexico. The newspaper notified the FBI last week, prompting Mexican authorities to raid the facility.
Philippine police are also reportedly ‘very close’ to filing formal charges against Markle Sr after alleged child abuse images were found at his apartment.
Thomas Markle Jr claims his father told him around 2011 that he had two storage units ‘stuffed to the brim’ with Meghan’s former furniture and possessions from her time at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.
The former Hollywood lighting director also kept boxes of personal and career memorabilia there. Those items are now expected to be examined as part of the investigation.
Thomas Markle Jr, who is said to have spoken to the FBI for two hours, told The Sun: ‘My father told me about the two units years ago. He’s had them for about 15 years.
‘One is stuffed to the brim with Meghan’s old furniture. The other is packed with boxes, books, photos, memorabilia from his Hollywood career, items from Meghan’s college days and God knows what else.
‘I dread to think what the FBI might find, especially given what has already been found in the Philippines and Mexico.’
Meghan Markle, pictured as a teenager, has been estranged from her father, Thomas Markle Sr, for years. Two previously unknown storage units he rented, reportedly containing some of Meghan’s belongings and his own personal mementoes, are due to be searched
The Daily Mail alerted the FBI after finding sexually explicit books, magazines and photographs—including images of Asian females who appeared conspicuously young—in a Mexican storage unit rented by Thomas Markle
Markle Sr with an unidentified young woman among his belongings
Markle Sr strongly denies the allegations, telling the Daily Mail that they are ‘sick lies’.
He is now living in a Florida care home that specialises in dementia care, close to Meghan’s half-sister Samantha.
An insider claimed: ‘Since the meeting she’s stopped speaking about the allegations on social media.’
Thomas and Samantha reportedly held ‘crisis talks’ lasting three hours yesterday.
Detectives in the Philippines have said they found ‘explicit content’—including footage involving ‘male and female minors’—on digital devices allegedly belonging to the Duchess of Sussex’s father.
Police were granted a warrant on Thursday to examine material recovered from four storage boxes at the 82-year-old’s flat in Cebu.
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Officers spent the weekend reviewing the devices, which reportedly included nine mobile phones, three SD cards, five hard drives, a camera and another non-digital item.
Major General Wilson Asueta of the Philippine National Police said this week: ‘We were able to find that there are files consisting of CSEAM [Child Sexual Exploitative and Abuse Material].
‘This will be subjected further to analysis. These are videos of a male and female minors, others who are not minors doing sexual activities and of course, explicit materials.
‘We are conducting ongoing digital forensics analysis and our field investigators are also doing their best conducting investigations… to validate the information that was provided to us. The investigation is going in the right direction.’
He said none of the children shown in the videos appeared to be from the Philippines, but added that they appeared to be ‘Asian [or] Caucasian’.
The Sun reported last night that police were consequently ‘very close’ to bringing formal charges against Meghan’s father.
The potential evidence was reportedly handed to authorities by Markle’s son, Thomas Jr, 60, who lives in the Philippines.
Meghan’s half-brother claimed he had discovered ‘hundreds, if not thousands’ of child abuse images and videos, including one image that appeared to show his father having sex with an underage girl.
Markle has denied any wrongdoing. He has acknowledged paying for sex in the Philippines but insists the women involved were adults.
He has called the allegations ‘sick lies’ and suggested that he was ‘set up’.
Meghan, now the Duchess of Sussex, is the only child of Thomas Markle Sr and his second ex-wife, Doria Ragland, pictured with Meghan in 2018
Markle moved from Mexico to the Philippines in January last year, then relocated to the United States in May after undergoing an amputation of his lower leg. On Friday, he was reportedly transferred to a Florida care home for dementia patients.
Experts believe that extraditing someone with advanced dementia would be unlikely.
Meanwhile, Mexican authorities confirmed that they had raided a Rosarito storage unit previously rented by Markle after the Mail reported finding a collection of indecent images of children there.
The FBI is also believed to be investigating after Scotland Yard finally shared a letter containing allegations made against Markle by his late former wife, Roslyn Loveless, in January 2019.
The Metropolitan Police referred itself to the independent police watchdog over its failure to act on the letter, despite having shared a copy with Meghan and Prince Harry.
The letter reportedly claimed that Markle had moved to Asia because ’12-year-olds are legal there’.
Police have also reportedly advised Meghan against discussing the allegations publicly. She previously said she was ‘deeply distressed’ by the claims.
A source said Philippine police were ‘still poring over everything but serious images of child abuse have been found… so formal charges are very close’.