COVINGTON, La. — Authorities say a Covington 18-year-old is in custody, accused of raping three children that he met through friends and on the popular social media app Snapchat.
According to the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office, the three victims range in age from 11 to 13 years old. Deputies say 18-year-old Ryheim Ross faces three charges of first-degree rape and domestic abuse battery.
The sheriff's office says Special Victims Unit detectives opened an investigation into the sexual assault of an 11-year-old in Nov 2020.
Three months later, detectives obtained a search warrant and arrested Ross, but they learned of two additional victims — ages 12 and 13 — at the time of the crimes. Deputies say Ross was rebooked in March 2021 for the case involving the 12-year-old victim and in November 2021 for the case involving the 13-year-old.
"It is utterly appalling that this suspect preyed on young children using Snapchat and mutual acquaintances!" Sheriff Smith said. “Please be vigilant and if you have young children using social media, carefully monitor their content to protect them from being victimized."
In addition to those charges, detectives say witnesses interviews led them to book Ross for a domestic abuse battery charge in connection with injuries he allegedly caused to his live-in adult girlfriend.
"Given the nature of the crimes and the fact that Ross was targeting his victims via mutual acquaintances and through social media, detectives have reason to believe there may be more victims out there," the sheriff's office said.
If you, your child or someone you know may be a victim of Ross, please call Sergeant Ryan Suhre at (985) 726-7839.
► Get breaking news from your neighborhood delivered directly to you by downloading the new FREE WWL-TV News app now in the IOS App Store or Google Play.