The estranged father of the Duchess of Sussex, Thomas Markle Sr, has been arrested by the FBI in Florida over alleged possession of child sexual abuse material, the Daily Mail can exclusively report.
Federal agents detained the 82-year-old at Maravida Senior Living in Lakeland on Friday morning, following the discovery in recent weeks of alleged indecent material at locations linked to Markle in the Philippines and Mexico.
A source told the Daily Mail that Markle was arrested on suspicion of possessing child sexual abuse material, commonly known as CSAM.
The arrest in the United States came only days after the Daily Mail alerted federal authorities to alleged child pornography found in a storage unit Markle had rented near his former home in Rosarito, Mexico.
Meanwhile, authorities in the Philippines are reportedly close to filing formal charges after alleged child abuse images were discovered at Markle’s former residence there last month.
After spending years overseas, Markle returned to Florida during the spring.
Shortly before his arrest, he had moved into a senior-living facility specializing in dementia care. The residence is estimated to cost about $3,900 a month.
The international investigation began after alleged child sexual abuse material was reportedly found at two locations associated with Markle during his retirement.
Thomas Markle Sr, the estranged father of the Duchess of Sussex, was arrested by the FBI in Florida on Friday after alleged child sexual abuse material was reportedly discovered in the Philippines and Mexico
A source said Markle was arrested on suspicion of possessing child sexual abuse material. Federal agents went to the 82-year-old’s senior-living facility in Lakeland, Florida, early Friday
The arrest followed the Daily Mail’s report to federal authorities about alleged child pornography in a storage unit Markle had rented near his former home in Rosarito, Mexico
Markle’s son, Thomas Markle Jr, 60, reportedly found one alleged cache at the family’s former home in Cebu, Philippines. He also says he informed the FBI about two storage units at a location in Los Angeles.
“I dread to think what the FBI might find, especially given what has already been found in the Philippines and Mexico,” Markle Jr told The Sun.
The investigation intensified when Mexican police raided the Rosarito storage unit over the weekend, just a day after the Daily Mail alerted the FBI to its contents.
Guardia Nacional officers identifying themselves as state sex-crimes investigators entered the 5ft-by-10ft unit, located about three miles from Markle’s former home in the coastal resort town.
The operation included forensic-computing specialists, a crime-scene investigator and officials from the Baja state attorney general’s office. They were seen examining the cluttered boxes with flashlights and searching through the unit’s contents.
According to an eyewitness, one agent appeared to recoil while viewing the material and said, “Ay cabron,” a Spanish expression that can convey shock or alarm.
A search warrant obtained by the Daily Mail states that investigators had judicial authorization to seek “evidence consisting of child sexual abuse material” and evidence connected to the alleged aggravated crime of human trafficking.
Investigators reportedly catalogued and removed items including a computer, USB drives, VHS tapes and magazines before sealing the unit with an official seizure notice.
Federal agents went to the 82-year-old’s care facility in Lakeland, Florida, where he was arrested on suspicion of possessing child sexual abuse material
The Duchess of Sussex previously said she was “deeply distressed” by the allegations involving her father in the Philippines. She has not addressed the later developments in Mexico
Mexican police raided the Rosarito unit the day after the Daily Mail alerted the FBI. Guardia Nacional officers entered the 5ft-by-10ft storage space shortly after midnight
Mexican Guardia Nacional sex-crimes investigators searched Thomas Markle Sr’s storage unit in Rosarito after reports that it contained alleged child pornography
The search at Baja Storage, a gated facility about 10 miles south of the US border, followed the Daily Mail’s discovery of alleged photographs of naked Asian females and magazines depicting child sexual abuse inside Unit 22.
After the raid, the shipping container was secured with Mexican Guardia Nacional notices stating “Aseguramiento de inmuebles,” meaning “seizure of property.”
The Daily Mail located the unit while examining Markle’s former life in San Antonio del Mar, a gated community popular with expatriates.
Markle rented Unit 22 in 2017. He reportedly fell behind on payments two years ago and moved to the Philippines in early 2025 without clearing out the space.
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Employees and the owner of the storage business said they were unaware of the alleged material and were horrified by what was found.
Markle has strongly denied any wrongdoing. After the allegations emerged, he told the Daily Mail on Saturday: “I had no storage units in Rosarito!”
Alongside family keepsakes, letters and photographs, investigators reportedly found black-and-white prints of naked Asian females, some of whom appeared notably young, as well as books and magazines presenting children in sexualized “Lolita” imagery.
The unit also reportedly contained strips of 35mm negatives showing voyeuristic images of children on a beach, along with dusty VHS tapes bearing titles including “Boys – Brother and Sister – Russian XX” and “Manila Nites.”
About 20 boxes were reportedly found in the Rosarito storage unit, including books about pedophilia and magazines depicting the sexual abuse of children
One undated photograph reportedly shows Markle on a bed with his arm around a young Asian female. Both are clothed, while the woman appears alone and naked in several other images
Old computers, hard drives and a paper plate marked “DARK WEB” in red ink alongside several URLs were also reportedly found. Authorities have not disclosed what may be stored on the hard drives or videotapes.
The Daily Mail’s report prompted an immediate inquiry involving officials in the United States and Mexico.
The investigation also includes FBI personnel based in Southern California, who coordinate cross-border law-enforcement operations.
The search warrant obtained by the Daily Mail indicates that Mexican state prosecutors sought authorization from Judge Estefany Moreno Gutierrez of Baja California’s Judicial Branch during a closed hearing on October 30.
“The search shall be conducted exclusively for the purpose of searching for, locating and securing evidence consisting of child sexual abuse material that may be in printed form, as well as USB memory devices and memory cards for photographic cameras and cellular telephones,” the warrant stated.
It further authorized investigators to search for communications equipment, including mobile phones, laptops, computers, tablets and other electronic devices that could contain videos featuring explicit sexual content.
The former Hollywood lighting director moved to Rosarito, a quiet coastal community favored by American retirees, in 2011.
A paper plate marked “DARK WEB” in red ink, alongside various URLs, was reportedly found inside Thomas Markle’s rented storage unit in Rosarito
Views of Thomas Markle’s former home in Rosarito, Mexico, about 10 miles south of the US-Mexico border
During his time in Mexico, Markle’s relationship with his daughter Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, deteriorated.
He later moved to the Philippines in early 2025.
A separate investigation remains active there after his son reportedly said he discovered “hundreds, if not thousands” of alleged child-sex images among boxes shipped by his father.
Cebu detectives later confirmed that they had found “explicit content,” including footage involving “male and female minors,” on digital devices recovered from the belongings.
Markle has rejected the allegations concerning the Philippines, describing claims about an alleged child-porn cache as “sick lies” fabricated by his son.
He has acknowledged paying for sex in the Philippines but insists that no one involved was under 18.
“I never had sex with anyone under the age of 18,” he told the Daily Mail last week. “I like Asian women, but that is not a crime.”
Following the allegations, the Duchess of Sussex said she was “deeply distressed at the news that has come to light” and that her “thoughts are with any children who may have been harmed” during the Philippines investigation.
She has not publicly addressed the developments in Mexico.
Meghan reportedly first learned of accusations involving her father in 2019, when a letter was sent to her through London’s Metropolitan Police.
The explosive letter, allegedly written by Markle’s late first wife, Roslyn Loveless, claimed that he had admitted traveling to the Far East to have sex with young girls.
Loveless reportedly wrote: “I questioned Thomas Sr. He denied accusation but stated that he went to the Philippines and Thailand because 12-year-olds are legal there.”