Police are now saying there “could be a decade of victims” in the investigation into a Tennessee soccer coach who has been charged with drugging and raping at least 10 boys, a police spokesperson told CNN.
Camilo Hurtado Campos, 63, was arrested after he left his phone in a restaurant, only for restaurant staff to discover “dozens of unconscionable videos and pictures of children” stored on it, Franklin police wrote. Mr Campos is being held for rape of a child and sexual exploitation of a minor.
Police said they are conducting a “heartbreaking investigation” as they work to identify the minors. Evidence of the rapes of at least 10 boys – between the ages of 9 and 17 – was found on the phone on Sunday. As of Monday, Franklin police said they identified three of the 10 victims, and five more have come forward “that we didn’t know about.”
Franklin police Lt Charles Warner told CNN that “people who were victims in some of the recordings that have come forward are in their 20s now.” He added that the identified victims are male, and most of them are Hispanic.
On top of this evidence, Mr Campos may not have been a soccer coach at all. “We know that he used the guise of the fact that he was a soccer coach … and that’s how he would befriend them,” Mr Warner told the outlet, calling the suspect’s connection to a soccer team “ambiguous,” as investigators have not confirmed where he works.
“The people that are coming forward have felt such shame, such terror, and it’s very hard, I’m sure, to remember and process something so traumatic that happened to you, whether it was yesterday or whether it was 10 years ago,” Mr Warner continued.
He said that the investigation was in its “infancy,” suggesting there could be more victims who come forward: “This could be the tip of the iceberg.”
According to the Williamson County Criminal Justice Center, Campos’ bond has been set at $525,000. CNN noted that he is expected to appear in court on 25 July.
