Ohio man charged with luring Manitoba child online: RCMP

Camillia Layne, manager with the Canadian Centre for Child Protection, breaks down online risks facing kids and how caregivers can help protect them.

A 32-year-old Ohio man has been charged with luring a Manitoba child online in a case RCMP described as disturbing.

Courtney Arden Wise III of Wadsworth, Ohio, was arrested on Feb. 12 after he allegedly groomed a 10-year-old child in Manitoba on social media and convinced her to send sexually explicit photos.

“This incident was a terrible reminder of the dangers that lurk on the Internet, especially for children and minors,” said Cpl. Emmie Clements with the Manitoba RCMP’s Internet Child Exploitation Unit during a Monday news conference.

“It only takes a few moments for bad actors to make contact with their next victim.”

RCMP began investigating in December 2025. Officers allege the suspect pretended to be in his early teens on a “popular social media platform,” adding that the interactions moved from social media to text messaging. Police also allege the man sent sexually explicit photos to the child.

A family member found the message exchanges and reported them to RCMP.

RCMP did not name which online platform the incident occurred on.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security was involved with the investigation and arrested and seized electronic devices from the home.

Wise III has been charged with sexual exploitation, along with receiving and possessing sexually explicit material involving children. He remains in custody in Ohio. None of the charges have been proven in court.

RCMP said officials in the United States are continuing to investigate and believe there may be more victims.

Luring reports spiking in Canada

Lindsay Lobb, director of operations and support services with the Canadian Centre for Child Protection, said her organization has seen a spike in child luring reports.

She said the organization received more than 3,300 reports in the past year, up from 750 in 2020.

“What we know is that much of this is attributed to adults being allowed to intersect with children in largely unregulated spaces,” she said.

“Parents are trying their best, but more needs to be done.”

Lobb said the platforms the organization sees the most reports of child luring coming in from include Instagram, Snapchat, and increasingly, TikTok.

“When TikTok opened up their platform to a private messaging application, we saw an increase in reports,” she said.

The incident is a reminder for parents to talk with their children about online safety. Clements said parents should monitor their child’s activity online, know which platforms they are on, and know the passwords for their networks.