Police searching for additional victims after man charged with child luring through Snapchat [Video]

A 53-year-old man is accused of luring teen girls on social media, and police believe there may be additional victims.

In March 2023 the Edmonton Police Service got a report that a girl had been sexually assaulted.

Police say a subsequent investigation showed Horacio Benitez, 53, had befriended two 14-year-old girls and a 12-year-old girl on Snapchat using the username @used2bc.

Benitez reportedly offered to buy vapes, marijuana, and alcohol for the girls in exchange for nude pictures, video, and in-person sexual contact.

The girls are now receiving support from the Zebra Child & Youth Advocacy Centre.

Benitez has been charged with:

• Two counts of sexual assault;
• Two counts of sexual interference;
• Two counts of invitation to sexual touching;
• Two counts of luring of a child;
• Two counts of making child pornography;
• Possessing child pornography;
• Making sexually explicit material available to a child;
• Two counts of obtaining sexual service of a child for consideration; and
• Two counts of distributing cannabis to youth – person under …