WARNING: THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS DETAILS OF GRAPHIC CONTENT.
Philippine authorities have released a major update in their investigation into Thomas Markle Sr.’s alleged possession of child pornography; It comes just days after the 82-year-old was reported to local police and the FBI by his own son, who claimed to have found disgusting materials in his Cebu City home.
“The investigation is going in the right direction,” Philippine National Police Acting Director Pmgen Wilson Casueta told reporters on Tuesday.
“If there is sufficient evidence [then] “We will file a lawsuit.”
While Casueta revealed that there were boys and girls of Asian and Caucasian origin in a video, he also emphasized that he was not Filipino.
Police also announced that the FBI and other U.S. law enforcement agencies are conducting their own investigations but are also partnering with local authorities.
He also hinted that London police were not in contact with Filipino authorities.
“Only FBI and US officials reached our Women’s and Child Protection Center,” he said.
Authorities were unable to comment on Agence France Presse’s reports that Mexican authorities raided a warehouse rented by Markle.
Markle, who lived in Rosarito from 2016 to 2025, reportedly stopped paying rent for the apartment in 2024 but kept her belongings inside.
So-called “magazines from Asia” and computer equipment dating back 20 years were found, but authorities did not disclose further details.
As Page Six previously reported, Thomas Markle Jr. allegedly found “hundreds, if not thousands” of child sexual abuse images at the Cebu home where his father previously lived.
The 60-year-old man reported his father to authorities and made his disturbing findings public; He claimed to have found videos of victims “no more than 10 or 11 years old” participating in “sex acts” and “old books that turned out to be full of naked little girls.”
However, Thomas Sr. vehemently denied the accusations and called his son’s allegations “nonsense.”
“They’re just a bunch of lies. It’s disgusting. I have no idea why Tom is trying to destroy me with these lies,” she told the Daily Mail.
Thomas Sr.’s 61-year-old daughter Samantha, who is Meghan Markle’s half-sister, backed her father and accused her brother of seeking “revenge” with his allegations.
But just days later, a Daily Mail reporter who claimed to have uncovered additional “vile” materials in an abandoned storage unit rented by the former lighting manager in Mexico came forward with another set of shocking allegations against Thomas Sr.
The unit, located just three miles from Thomas Sr.’s former home in Rosarito Beach, was found to contain numerous pornographic books and magazines, as well as photographs depicting underage girls.
Media reported that magazines depicting child pornography published in Asia were unearthed along with random photos of children on the beach. The publication also stated that it reported Thomas Sr. to the FBI.
Hours after this story was published, local authorities appeared to raid the storage unit, but they have yet to share an update on their findings.
Page Six later confirmed that authorities had obtained a search warrant in the Philippines to search Thomas’ digital devices.
VII of the Ministry of Justice. The District Attorney’s Office (Central Visayas, Philippines) told us that “appropriate legal proceedings may be initiated” if there is “sufficient evidence to identify any person who may be held responsible.”
Philippine interior minister Jonvic Remulla also issued a statement to The Guardian shortly after Thomas Jr.’s allegations became public, suggesting that Thomas Sr. may well have been “a sex offender of the worst kind,” based on initial evidence local authorities found at his home.
“In these cases involving domestic disputes, we must consider all angles,” Remulla said. “All signs right now point to a possible sex offender of the most serious kind. We want to be sure before publishing the findings.”
In a statement shared with Page Six following her half-brother’s initial discovery, Meghan said she was “deeply saddened” by her father’s news.
She also said she received a letter in 2018 containing similar “disturbing and troubling” allegations against her father, which contributed to their estrangement.
After the news broke, the actress and her husband Prince Harry fled England to an unknown place with their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
As for Thomas Sr., he was reportedly transferred to a “care home for dementia patients” on Friday as part of the investigation.
The 82-year-old was photographed being pushed in a wheelchair by care facility staff in Lakeland, Florida.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-330-0226.