Riverside Police Officers initiated an investigation into allegations of sexual abuse involving a 4-year-old girl and an adult male at the residential daycare she attends.
Our dedicated detectives from the Sexual Assault – Child Abuse (SACA) Unit wasted no time in launching their investigation. They swiftly identified the suspect as Antonio Chavez, a 65-year-old man who happens to be the husband of the daycare provider.
Investigators reached out to other families who use the Chavez Family Daycare, which is situated in the Orangecrest neighborhood of Riverside.
They discovered that two additional children had been victims of sexual abuse by Mr. Chavez during their time at the daycare. Shockingly, these crimes were never reported or disclosed.
Mr. Chavez was apprehended by SACA Detectives on Wednesday, July 3rd, and subsequently taken into custody at the Robert Presley Detention Center. He is facing charges for lewd and lascivious acts involving a child. After obtaining a bail enhancement, detectives have successfully ensured that Mr. Chavez remains in custody with a bail amount of 1 million dollars.
The Chavez Family Daycare has been operating as a licensed daycare provider since 2010. It is conveniently situated in a residential area on Blue Sky Street in the 18400 block. After conducting their investigation, detectives lodged a complaint with the Community Care Licensing Division at the State of California’s Department of Social Services as reported by Crime Daily.
Authorities believe there could be more children who were harmed by Mr. Chavez and have not yet reported their experiences. If you have any further information about this investigation, please reach out to Detective Victoria Mutuku at (951) 353-7945 or [email protected].
If you prefer to stay anonymous, you can download the mobile app called “Atlas 1” from the Riverside Police Department. Once downloaded, you can use the “Send a Message” feature to send us any information you have.