Thomas Markle Jr. has been named a person of interest in the Philippine investigation into his father Thomas Markle Sr.’s alleged possession of child defilement material, according to officials.
Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, November 5, Philippine Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said investigators were examining whether the younger Markle had any involvement in the alleged offences.
“We have a witness [who says] underage girls were being brought to his house. We will investigate whether the son was involved in the crime,” Remulla said.
“To accuse the father only is only half the police work. There are signs that point that the son is involved in the crime as well but only as a person of interest so far.”
Thomas Jr., who initially reported his father to Philippine authorities, has not been designated a suspect, according to the report. News5 Philippines first reported his identification as a person of interest.
TMZ said it had contacted his representative for comment but had not received a response. The development follows Thomas Jr.’s disclosure to The Sun that he had alerted the FBI to storage units his father rented in Hollywood.
“There’s something there, that’s my gut feeling, I dread to think what the FBI might find, especially given what has been found in the Philippines and Mexico,” he told the newspaper.
His comments reflected his suspicions rather than confirmation of what, if anything, the storage units contained.
Authorities in Mexico and the Philippines have been investigating allegations that Thomas Sr. possessed child defilement material.
Mexican officials reportedly found images depicting child abuse during their investigation. Remulla previously described material found during the Philippine inquiry as indicating offending of “the grossest kind”.
Thomas Sr. has denied the allegations and maintained that he has never had intimate contact with anyone underage.