Thomas Markle son now ‘person of interest’ in father’s child abuse probe

MANILA (UPDATE) — Thomas Markle Jr., son of Thomas Markle Sr., is now being considered a person of interest in the investigation into thousands of explicit images and a video recovered from digital devices allegedly belonging to his father.

Markle Sr. is the father of Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle.

Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla said investigators are looking into Markle Jr.’s possible involvement after receiving information that minors were allegedly brought to his residence in Cebu.

“We had witnesses who testified that underage girls were being brought to his house with ring lights na nakikita through the windows. So, sabi niya nagti-TikTok lang daw siya but we looked at his Tiktok account, wala naman underage girls na lumalabas doon,” Remulla said.

The DILG chief stressed, however, that Markle Jr. is not yet considered a suspect and remains a person of interest as authorities validate the information.

“We’re determining if son is involved… There are signs that point that the son was involved in the crime as well but only as a person of interest so far,” Remulla added.

Markle Sr. used to live in a high-rise apartment in Cebu City from January 2025 to May 2026.

In late 2025, he suffered a severe blood clot that led to the below-the-knee amputation of his left leg. 

He left Cebu in May 2026 and returned to the United States for medical treatment and a prosthetic limb, and is currently in a facility in Florida.

The investigation began after Markle Jr. discovered the materials while searching for a cellphone at a friend’s house in Cordova, Cebu, where his father’s belongings had been left.

He was also the one who turned over the digital devices to authorities.

Remulla said investigators recovered around 7,500 photographs and one video containing explicit material involving underage boys and girls of various descent.

Some of the children depicted were estimated to be as young as 10 or 11 years old.

“It is the most deplorable displays of impunity towards sexual activity that I have ever seen and it is really, really distributing,” Remulla said.

Authorities have yet to establish whether the recovered materials were indeed owned by Markle Sr.

Remulla said six mobile phones came from the United States, prompting investigators to seek the assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to verify whether the SIM cards were registered under Markle Sr.’s name.