By John Dobberstein, Editor
A multi-year investigation by the FBI has led to a former Broken Arrow couple being charged with producing and distributing child sexual abuse material.
Agents said Dakota Horn, 24, and her 27-year-old ex-husband, Willie Horn, were arrested in Broken Arrow Oct. 22. Authorities also found the 7-year-old child victim, who had been the subject of an investigation, “spanning several years,” the FBI said Monday.
A complaint filed last week by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Tulsa charges the man and woman with production of child pornography, as well as receiving and distributing child pornography.
According to the federal complaint, the investigation started in 2022 when a foreign law enforcement partner alerted the FBI to videos showing a 2-year-old girl being sexually abused by an unidentified woman. The child’s face was visible in the videos, but the woman’s face was not.
Investigators noted a distinctive spiral tattoo on the woman’s left wrist, a ring on her finger and details in the background of the videos.
In 2023, investigators found additional videos on the dark web involving the same child, showing a man sexually abusing the girl. The man’s face was hidden but investigators noticed distinctive freckles.
The FBI said it eventually uncovered 66 images and 11 videos involving the child, with one image including a message advertising the material for sale. Investigators believe the recordings were made between 2020 and 2021.
Last month, the FBI’s Operation Rescue Me positively identified both of the suspects using background and environmental image analysis from the videos.
FBI agents and members of the Tulsa Child Exploitation Task Force arrested the two in Broken Arrow on Oct. 22.
Court documents state the child’s mother was friends with the couple and had allowed them to watch her daughter while she went to work.
An affidavit says Dakota Horn admitted to producing child sexual abuse material involving the girl when she was between 1 to 2 years old, and she also admitted to producing material involving at least one other child.
Investigators say Dakota identified Willie Horn as the man in the videos and Willie recognized the spiral tattoo as belonging to Dakota.
The complaint says Willie denied participating in the distribution of the material after investigators presented evidence linking his phone number, email address and social media accounts to it.
Investigators also used audio playing in the background of the videos to help establish when they were made.
Prosecutors said the material has been connected to at least 294 law enforcement cases across the country and around the world and there may be additional victims connected to the suspects.
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