PROVO, Utah (ABC4) — A Provo, Utah, mother was charged with 44 counts of child sex crimes involving her 10-year-old daughter on Monday, according to court documents.
Court documents state the mother was charged in the Fourth District Court with:
- Sixteen counts of human trafficking of a child.
- Sixteen counts of aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor.
- Eight counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child.
- One count of sodomy of a child.
- One count of object rape of a child.
- One count of rape of a child.
- One count of lewdness involving a child.
NewsNation affiliate KTVX is declining to publicly name the mother in an attempt to protect the identity of the victim. Police said the mother filmed her daughter and uploaded sexually explicit videos to the messaging platform, Kik. She was arrested last week after Provo City Police were tipped off to the alleged abuse.
A man was also arrested in Nevada as part of the investigation. Chris Seamann, 52, of Mesquite, Nev. was arrested last Friday morning on a warrant from Utah for his alleged involvement.
Seamann is a convicted sex offender, according to the National Sex Offender Registry. He was convicted in Nebraska for first-degree forcible sexual assault back in 1993.
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.
On multiple occasions, the mother and Seamann allegedly exchanged money. The man allegedly paid $20 “per session.” During the incident in Springville, Seamann reportedly gave the mother a laptop and $125 for payment, according to the statement of probable cause.
The mother told police that she allegedly has done this 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.
The mother was taken to Utah County Jail where she is being held without bail. Seamann is currently jailed in Nevada awaiting potential extradition to Utah.
The Utah Attorney General issued a statement praising the Utah ICAC task force.
“While such betrayals may seem incomprehensible to most of us, the tragic reality of human trafficking and child exploitation is family members, including parents, can be the most serious perpetrators,” Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes said.
Reyes noted that he’s grateful for all investigators involved in cases like this.
“Utah’s ICAC task force led by Commander Sete Aulai includes over 200 expert investigators from our office and affiliate agencies across the state. I am inspired by the courage and resilience of survivors as familial abuse cases are extremely difficult to investigate,” he said.