05/11/2026
Ohio male charged with online luring of 10-year-old Manitoba girl
In December 2025, Manitoba RCMP learned a 10-year-old girl had been lured online and sent explicit images of herself to someone she believed was a male in his teens.
A family member discovered the exchange and notified RCMP. Investigators subsequently learned the girl had been conversing with an adult male posing as a teenage boy that she initially met on a popular social media platform. Their conversation eventually moved over to text messages, where the male continued to groom the girl and convinced her to send images and video of herself to him.
The male also sent explicit photos to the girl.
The Manitoba RCMP Internet Child Exploitation Unit reviewed the contents found on the electronic devices used by the victim and determined the suspect lived in the United States.
Investigators engaged Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) at the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa to assist in locating the suspect. On Feb. 12, Special Agents from HSI Cleveland executed a search warrant at a residence in Wadsworth, OH, and arrested a suspect. They also seized the suspect’s electronic devices, which found evidence of the communication between himself and the Manitoba girl.
Cortney Arden Wise III, 32, of Wadsworth, Ohio, has been charged by U.S. officials with:
• Sexual exploitation of children;
• Receipt of visual depictions of real minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct; and
• Possession of child po*******hy.
The suspect remains in custody in Ohio. U.S. law enforcement officials believe the suspect may have victimized other children and are continuing to investigate.
“The details of this case are disturbing and underscore the real dangers that online predators and those with malicious intent pose to impressionable children and youth,” said Cpl. Emmie Clements, of the Manitoba Integrated Child Exploitation Unit. “We are thankful to our partners at Homeland Security Investigations for their help and collaboration in locating and arresting a suspect for this heinous crime.”
“Homeland Security Investigations remains committed to working with law enforcement worldwide to combat child exploitation,” said Maggie Sigur, attaché for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations. “This case underscores the impact of cross-border collaboration in protecting children – a commitment we share with the RCMP.”
