Mexican law enforcement authorities raided a storage unit in Rosarito belonging to Thomas Markle Sr. early Saturday morning, seizing computers, thumb drives, VHS tapes, and magazines following a published report that the locker contained illicit material depicting child sexual abuse, according to the Daily Mail.
The Essential Details of the Rosarito Storage Raid
- Mexican Guardia Nacional officers and state sex crimes investigators executed a search warrant just after midnight on Saturday at Baja Storage, located three miles from Thomas Markle Sr.’s former home.
- The operation followed a tip-off from the Daily Mail to the FBI, which alerted authorities to suspected child sexual abuse material inside Unit 22.
- Thomas Markle Sr. has denied possessing child pornography, telling the Daily Mail that he had no storage units in Rosarito, while investigators continue probes across both Mexico and the Philippines.
Inside the Baja California Storage Locker Investigation
The early morning raid on Saturday targeted a 5ft by 10ft vault at Baja Storage, a gated facility situated 10 miles south of the U.S. border in Rosarito, Mexico. According to a copy of the search warrant obtained by the Daily Mail, a Baja California judge authorized investigators to search for evidence related to child sexual abuse material and the alleged commission of aggravated human trafficking.
State sex crimes investigators, forensic computing experts, and crime scene personnel participated in the search. During the operation, an agent examined the contents and exclaimed “Ay cabron!”—a Spanish phrase that can mean “holy crap” or “oh, damn”—according to an onlooker cited by the Daily Mail. Officers itemized and seized a computer, thumb drives, VHS tapes, and magazines before sealing the facility with official notices marked “Aseguramiento de inmuebles.”
Contents Discovered and Prior Rentals
The storage container was originally rented in 2017 by Thomas Markle Sr., the estranged father of the Duchess of Sussex. According to the facility’s owner and staff, Markle fell behind on rental payments two years ago and relocated to the Philippines in early 2025 without clearing out the unit.
When the Daily Mail gained access after the lapsed payments, they documented items including black-and-white prints of naked Asian females, books and magazines sexualizing children, 35mm negative strips with voyeuristic beach photos of children, and dusty VHS tapes. Additional items included old computers, hard drives, and a paper plate with the words “DARK WEB” written in red ink.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Location | Baja Storage, Unit 22, Rosarito, Mexico |
| Raid Date | Early Saturday morning (local time) |
| Seized Items | Computer, thumb drives, VHS tapes, magazines |
| Investigating Agencies | Guardia Nacional, Baja California State Attorney General’s Office |
Current Location and Ongoing Inquiries
Hours before the search warrant was executed, the Daily Mail photographed 82-year-old Thomas Markle Sr. being pushed in a wheelchair between care homes in Lakeland, Florida. Markle is staying in the senior-living residence following the amputation of his left leg in December 2025. He was accompanied by his daughter Samantha and her boyfriend Mark Phillips, both of whom have denied allegations that Markle is a pedophile.
The FBI’s Tampa Field Office, located near Markle’s current Florida residence, became involved following the initial report. Meanwhile, officials in the Philippines are reviewing evidence connected to an independent criminal investigation involving Markle. Thomas Markle Sr. denied the allegations to the Daily Mail, asserting that he never possessed child pornography and had never slept with anyone underage.
