Duchess Meghan's mom, Doria Ragland, has been assisting the FBI.
Ragland, 70, stepped in to help federal investigators identify her ex-husband, Thomas Markle Sr, in alleged child sex abuse images, USA TODAY understands. The pair were married for eight years, divorcing in 1987.
Markle, 82, was arrested in Florida on Friday, Nov. 6. He is charged with one count of possession of child sex-abuse material, according to a statement from the FBI. Markle allegedly kept child sexual-abuse material, including sexually explicit photographs of himself with prepubescent girls, in two Los Angeles-area storage units that he rented for nearly two decades, according to the bureau.
Over the weekend, The Sunreported that Ragland helped identify her former husband
in "two sick" photos after she was was shown redacted versions of the suspected child sexual abuse images.
"Mr. Markle allegedly targeted innocent children and sought to steal their innocence through his criminal actions," FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement.
Markle, who is facing up to 20 years in federal prison, has denied wrongdoing, calling the allegations against him"sick lies." Last month, The Sun newspaper reported that "hundreds" of child sex images were allegedly uncovered inside Markle's home in the Philippines by his son, Thomas Jr.
What has Duchess Meghan said about the investigation?
In a statement last month, Meghan said she was "deeply distressed" by the allegations, branding them "sickening." She shared that she first became aware of the accusations in 2019 when a letter sent to British police was shared with her. She said she was assured authorities were investigating.
The duchess, who has been estranged from her father for almost a decade, expressed hope that people would finally understand why she cut ties with him and stopped him from meeting her children, Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5.
"I hope it can now be understood that, despite certain media publications’ distortion over the years, any distance from my father and my choice to not allow him to have contact with our children, was for one reason: to protect them," she said.
The duchess, 45, is expected to join husband Prince Harry in Brussels on Tuesday, her first outing since her father's arrest. The pair, who moved back to the U.K. in August, will visit European Parliament, to mark the opening of the "Lost Screen Memorial," an art installation that honors children who lost their lives as a result of online harm.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Duchess Meghan's mom helped FBI identify Thomas Markle in alleged child sex abuse photos
