A Michigan, USA doctor has been arrested in an undercover sting after allegedly attempting to arrange a sexual relationship with a woman’s 5-year-old daughter, authorities said.
Dr. William J. Murdoch was taken into custody by U.S. Marshals after communicating online with an officer posing as a mother, according to the Port St. Lucie Police Department. Investigators said Murdoch’s goal was to build trust with the woman and then ask if her child could be “courted by and have a sexual relationship with him.”
Police described the online exchanges as “stomach-churning,” noting Murdoch detailed disturbing plans to groom the child. A forensic review of his iCloud and messaging accounts uncovered additional conversations suggesting his medical training was being misused in “alarming dark web hunts,” investigators said.
Authorities also reported discussions involving conception, abortion, and intentionally causing birth defects through drugs and alcohol.
Murdoch was charged with soliciting a parent to consent to sexual conduct involving a child. He will be extradited to Florida, police confirmed.
Public records list Murdoch as Associate Director for Family Medicine residency at Monroe Regional Hospital in Michigan. ProMedica, which owns the hospital, said his privileges were “immediately suspended” and all activity involving him was terminated following his arrest.