PROVO, Utah (ABC4) — A Utah mother has been arrested and faces charges of 76 total counts of child sex crimes involving her 10-year-old daughter, according to a probable cause statement released by Provo City Police.
Police said the mother filmed her daughter and uploaded sexually explicit videos to the messaging platform, Kik, sending them to a man at his request in exchange for money.
NewsNation affiliate KTVX is declining to publicly name the mother in an attempt to protect the identity of the victim. The mother faces 76 total charges, 42 of which are first-degree felony charges of human trafficking of a child. She also faces 30 counts of aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor, two counts of sodomy on a child, and two counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child. The man, Chris Seamann, 52, was arrested late this morning in Mesquite, Nev. and an extradition warrant has been requested by police.
Seamann is on the National Sex Offender Registry for a 1993 conviction out of Nebraska for first-degree forcible sexual assault.
Police received a cyber tip from Kik officials that started the investigation.
Police say they worked with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) and investigated the mother’s Facebook and other social media accounts. Police and NCMEC found the daughter appeared similar to the juvenile depicted in the videos.
The mother reportedly told police she liked to use Kik for adult purposes and talked about men she spoke with, including Seamann. The mother stated that she was looking for attention from “someone that wasn’t bullying.” She also told police she and her daughter met Seamann on multiple occasions.
The mother told police that this has happened multiple times over 5-6 years. Police reportedly asked the mother when the victim was abused by the man last, and she outlined an instance in graphic detail that took place in Springville on Sept. 3.
On multiple occasions, the mother and Seamann exchanged money. The man paid $20 “per session” and during the incident in Springville, Seamann gave the mother a laptop and $125 for payment.
The mother was arrested and booked in Utah County Jail. Provo Police tell KTVX the investigation is still ongoing and further information is currently unavailable.