WARNING: This story includes disturbing details. Reader discretion is advised.
PARMA HEIGHTS, Ohio — A 20-year-old man is in jail on a $500,000 bond, accused of taking pictures and a video while raping a two-year-old girl at a home daycare.
The FBI contacted Parma Heights police about it last Friday. The same day, police arrested Conner Matthew Walker at the FBI field office.
Walker is also facing federal charges of sexual exploitation of children and distribution of visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, according to Ohio District Court records.
Ohio Job and Family Services sent News 5 a statement saying they’re aware of this and deeply troubled.
OJFS says the daycare was not licensed to operate at the current location, but it is licensed at another address and was in the process of changing to the home where police said the crime happened.
So far, police said the daycare operator had no knowledge of what happened.
Parma Heights police held a news conference Monday about its joint investigation with the FBI, saying this hits home.
They worked all last weekend to build their case against Walker.
“It’s a horrific event that we wish we could stop anywhere,” said Detective Eric Taylor.
Tonya’s Daycare Center was closed on Monday. The owner, Tonya Ball, declined comment to News 5 Investigators.
According to court records, last September, the daycare operator allowed the two-year-old girl to stay the night.
Walker lived part-time at the home on Big Creek Parkway.
Police say Walker, who has a Rocky River address, was allowed to stay there as he pleased, and records show he was there when the girl slept over.
“He is accused of sexually assaulting a 2-year-old victim at that residence,” Taylor said. Court records show Walker was showering when the child went into the bathroom through an open door.
The suspect is accused of pushing the door closed and taking pictures and recording a two-minute video while raping the child, who police say is now three.
"We have reached out to all the families that we were made aware that attended that daycare and detectives have spoken with those families. If, throughout the course of our investigation, we find other victims, we will reach out to them,” Taylor said.
Ball told News 5 Investigators that Walker was her son’s friend.
News 5 asked authorities if Walker made any confession.
“There have been conversations had with him and we’ll use those as we go forward,” Taylor said.
We also asked Taylor if the daycare owner was culpable.
“So there’s different licensing and things that a daycare owner has to work through and the people responsible for those licenses are working through that with her,” Taylor said.
Police said there are about ten different families who used the daycare at one point. But right now, police say they’ve only identified this one victim.
PREVIOUS STORY: 20-year-old man charged with rape of 2-year-old at in-home day care in Parma Heights
