3 women, 1 man charged in Edmonton-area case of sexual offences against children

Leduc RCMP investigating child sexual abuse materials and sexual assault offences against children have charged four people.

Four Edmonton-area people have been charged with several sexual offences against children, Leduc RCMP said in a media release on Friday.

RCMP in Leduc apprehended the three women and one man at different times over the last three months, starting Aug. 20, when officers arrested Maxance Valade.

Using a warrant, investigators searched the 27-year-old man’s Leduc property and seized “several items,” RCMP said, including “electronic devices” they and officers from the Integrated Child Exploitation unit of the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT) found that identified victims and more suspects.

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Police subsequently arrested 34-year-old Sydney Burns on Oct. 8, 24-year-old Fannie Mae Salvador on Oct. 16 and 29-year-old Jessica Leigh Wood on Nov. 5. All three women live in Edmonton.

Valade and Burns each have been charged with the production of child pornography and seven counts of sexual offences against children.

Salvador has been charged with transmitting child pornography and three counts of sexual offences against children.

Wood has been charged with sexual interference.

Valade and Burns are in police custody.

Insp. Kiel Samotej of the Leduc RCMP said in the release that the Integrated Child Exploitation unit of ALERT and the non-profit Zebra Child and Youth Advocacy Centre “provided valuable assistance during this difficult and disturbing investigation.”

“This case involves isolated individuals, and there is no information pointing to predatory activity in the area,” Samotej said.

ALERT is the province’s joint police task force.

Leduc RCMP asks anyone with information about the case to contact them at 310-RCMP (7267).