Two individuals were arrested in Auburn, Washington, following separate investigations into child sexual abuse material, according to an official statement issued by the Auburn Police Department. The department reported that both arrests occurred on February 18 and stemmed from a tip provided by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

According to reporting by MyNorthwest, detectives executed search warrants at each suspect’s residence, where investigators recovered digital evidence. The Auburn Police Department stated that both individuals were taken into custody without incident and later booked into jail.

In its public statement, the department emphasized that the investigations were conducted in coordination with the Washington State Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. The task force, which operates statewide, assists local jurisdictions—including those in Southwest Washington—when cases involve digital exploitation or multi‑jurisdictional components.

While these arrests occurred outside Cowlitz County, the investigative pathway that led to them—a national cyber tip relayed to a Washington‑based task force—reflects the same reporting structures and detection systems that local agencies in Longview and Kelso rely on when handling potential child exploitation cases. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children routes digital exploitation tips to law enforcement agencies across the state, including those serving the Lower Columbia region.

Why this matters for Southwest Washington

Local law enforcement agencies in Cowlitz County also participate in statewide and federal information‑sharing systems used to detect and investigate child exploitation. The Auburn arrests illustrate how these systems function when cyber tips originate outside a community but follow the same investigative frameworks used locally. Any case routed to Cowlitz County would follow comparable procedures, beginning with a formal investigative referral and progressing only on verifiable evidence.

The Auburn Police Department stated that protecting minors from exploitation remains a top priority and affirmed its intention to continue pursuing similar cases with support from statewide partners.

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