Octogenarian charged: Charles Emery (pictured), 82, has been arrested on child pornography charges along with his two brothers, Thomas Emery, 80, and Edwin Emery, 79
Three elderly brothers living together in Seattle have been arrested after police say they discovered an immense collection of child pornography, girls’ clothing and disturbing writings about raping and murdering children inside their cluttered home.
Charles Emery, 82, Thomas Emery, 80, and Edwin Emery, 79, so far have been charged with two counts each of second-degree possession of child pornography, but police say the investigation is ongoing.
The trio are being held in the King County Jail on $500,000 bail pending their arraignment on August 31.
The suspected crimes of the Emery brothers, who have been living together for more than 50 years, having never married or fathered children of their own, came to light on Saturday, when police acting on a tip executed a search warrant at their dilapidated home on Northeast 59th Street.
Officers who descended on the property reportedly found it crammed ‘floor to ceiling’ with a staggering trove of child pornography, including photographs, videos and related materials, according to charging documents cited by Seattlepi.com.
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Life-long bachelors: The Emery brothers have lived together for more than 50 years inside this rundown home in Seattle, having never married or fathered children of their own
Thirty-hour search: Police officers and federal agents in hazmat suits descended on the home on Saturday, more than a week after getting a tip from the Emery siblings’ relative
The search, assisted by Department of Homeland Security’s Internet Child Exploitation officers, also turned up unspecified evidence of sexual exploitation of young girls, children’s clothing, underwear, shoes, toys and movies, reported KIRO7.
Among the stacks of papers recovered from the address in the Green Lake section of the city, police say there were handwritten ‘manifestos’ penned by Charles Emery, which talked in detail about satanic rituals, kidnapping, torture, rape and murder of girls.
One of the ‘manifestos’ was found partially burned and buried along with a child’s pink hat, according to police.
These findings prompted officers in hazmat suits to dig under sheds and garages for evidence of potential homicide.
Horrifying finds: Charging documents state police have discovered a colossal stash of child pornography, including photographs, videos and related materials
The search also turned up alleged evidence of sexual exploitation of young girls, children’s clothing, underwear, shoes, toys and movies
The search of the property, described by Capt Mike Edwards, of the Seattle Police Department, as something out of the A&E reality show ‘Hoarders,’ lasted 30 hours.
Neighbors of the three elderly brothers say they have lived at the rundown home since 1962 and have always keen known in the area as odd.
According to investigators, Charles, Thomas and Edwin Emery began molesting their own sister and later went on to sexually abuse other young relatives over the years and decades that followed.
Charles Emery worked as a janitor at Seattle Children’s Hospital from 1970s to 1990s, during which time he was alleged to have sexually abused a woman.
‘It’s very clear that these three individuals have an obsession with young female children. They’ve had this obsession for most, if not all, of their lives, and they acted on it,’ said Capt Edwards.
Jam-packed: Police described the house as something out of the show ‘Hoarders’
A ‘manifesto’ discussing satanic rituals and the rape and murder of girls was found partially burned and buried along with a child’s pink hat, prompting cops to star digging under sheds
The tip that sparked the investigation into the Emery siblings came from a female relative of theirs, who arrived at their home on August 9 to clean out the garage after Charles Emery, who suffers from dementia, moved out and relocated to an assisted living facility.
The woman, who is Charles’ legal guardian, allegedly found boxes containing pornographic material depicting children and called 911, according to The Seattle Times.
When officers questioned Thomas and Edwin Emery, who were at the house during the search Saturday, they claimed they had not entered the garage for years, and nonchalantly referred to their older brother’s ‘manifestos’ as ‘Charles’ hobby,’ according to the charging papers.
Edwin Emery also allegedly admitted that he was sexually attracted to children, while his brother Thomas claimed that he collected child pornography because he viewed it as ‘art.’
Edwin and Thomas were taken into custody at the house, while Charles was arrested at the nursing home.