Fort Collins Police: Man Sexually Assaulted Child He Met Online

A 23-year-old Fort Collins man is being accused of sexually assaulting a child he met on social media.

That's according to the Fort Collins Police Services Facebook page. According to the post, the victim came to Fort Collins in April of 2020 to visit relatives. During the visit, she met Abraham Carranza-Estrada through social media.

He allegedly arranged to meet the victim in person and sexually assaulted her. Police say he also convinced the girl to send him sexually explicit photos. After a long investigation, police arrested Carranza-Estrada on Sept. 17. He is facing felony charges including Sexual Assault of a Child, Enticement of a Child, and Sexual Exploitation of a child.

Police think Carranza-Estrada may have other victims and are continuing their investigation. Anyone who may have information on similar crimes involving Carranza-Estrada is being asked to contact Detective Laura Knudsen at 970-416-2771.

The police Facebook post also warned about the dangers posed by sexual predators on social media:

“Unfortunately, we investigate a lot of cases that start with social media,” said Sergeant Heather Moore, who leads the Crimes Against Persons Unit. “Sexual predators often use grooming behaviors to earn trust, create a false sense of intimacy, then engage in damaging acts with long-term impacts.”