A Florida man known as "Santa" and his son have been accused of sexually abusing children in their neighborhood and creating child pornography after authorities raided their home Tuesday morning.
On Tuesday morning, a raid was conducted at the house of St. Cloud resident James Cox after authorities received a cyber-tip about child pornography being uploaded from the family's home.
James Cox Uploaded Videos Produced by His Son
According to federal investigators, 79-year-old James Cox possessed hundreds of images and videos of children being sexually abused and exploited on his computer. His son, Henry Cox, was alco accused of recording pornographic videos with at least two neighborhood children inside his bedroom at their home, as reported by Fox 35 Orlando.
Court documents reveal that some of the videos Henry Cox is accused of recording were also taken in a public bathroom. However, investigators have not disclosed the exact location. The criminal complaint against James Cox alleged that his son produced some of the pornography, while he uploaded it.
Henry Killed Himself Before He Could Be Served Warrant for Arrest
St. Cloud Police say Henry killed himself Tuesday morning before he could be served a federal warrant for his arrest. He was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The investigation into the two men began in November 2023 when police received a tip that someone, now believed to be James Cox, had uploaded child pornography on a reverse image search engine. He admitted to investigators he did it, according to court documents, because he wanted to find other child pornography.
As of Wednesday evening, he remained in the Seminole County jail where U.S. Marshals took him the day before while he awaits trial.
