A 20-year-old woman has been arrested and charged with several counts of child exploitation after an investigation into the sexual abuse of a 6-month-old baby, according to the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office.
Rachel Bloom has been charged with sexual exploitation of children, child molestation, aggravated sexual battery, and cruelty to children after investigators executed a search warrant on a home in Carroll County on Monday.
The investigation began when the sheriff’s Criminal Investigations Division, in conjunction with the Aggressive Criminal Enforcement Unit, received a cybertip from Kik Messenger. The tip was reviewed by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which assigned it high priority.
In just a matter of hours, the investigators located the infant victim, determined the child’s whereabouts, and then obtained a search warrant.
During the execution of the search warrant, investigators made contact with Bloom, who confessed to her involvement in the exploitation of the child, as well as the distribution of the illicit content, according to the sheriff’s office. The child was removed from the home while the investigation continued.
During the investigation, investigators located marijuana in plain view, which was within the child’s reach, according to the sheriff’s office. Casey Bloom, the child’s grandmother, has been arrested on drug-related charges.
