A Redmond man is now at the center of a sweeping child sex abuse case after a Deschutes County grand jury indicted him on 20 felony counts tied to an online child exploitation investigation, along with a separate misdemeanor count alleging sexual abuse of an animal. Authorities arrested the suspect on March 20, 2026, and the indictment followed on March 24, 2026.
Investigation and arrest
According to KATU, 23-year-old Gelsyn Yahir Hernandez was taken into custody on March 20 after what investigators described as a months-long probe by the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children Unit. A grand jury then indicted him on March 24 on 10 counts of first-degree encouraging child sexual abuse, 10 counts of second-degree encouraging child sexual abuse and one misdemeanor count involving the sexual abuse of an animal.
Investigators had executed search warrants at Hernandez’s home and vehicle on March 4, seizing multiple electronic devices. Forensic examiners later identified material that investigators say matched reports routed through the CyberTipline. The operation pulled in the sheriff’s ICAC unit, the Redmond Police Department, the FBI and digital forensics teams working the case together.
How the probe began
The case traces back to December 2025, when reports were submitted to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children’s CyberTipline, a national clearinghouse that sends suspected online child exploitation reports to local Internet Crimes Against Children task forces.
Public program materials list a Gelsyn Hernandez as a contact for Grow! Central Oregon Kids, an early-learning outreach effort linked to the High Desert Education Service District. Authorities have not publicly detailed how that connection factors into the investigation, but the listing has drawn local attention as the case unfolds.
Local precedent and scale
Deschutes County teams have worked similar CyberTipline-driven investigations in recent years. KTVZ previously reported on a separate Redmond arrest that also began with referrals from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.
Federal resources, along with the Department of Homeland Security’s Know2Protect initiative, describe a sharp rise in CyberTipline reports nationwide in recent years. That surge helps explain why local cases like this one increasingly lean on digital forensics and multi-agency teamwork rather than a single department working alone.
What the charges mean under Oregon law
Under Oregon law, first-degree encouraging child sexual abuse (ORS 163.684) involves creating, distributing or otherwise using visual depictions of sexual abuse involving a child. Second-degree encouraging child sexual abuse (ORS 163.686) covers possession and related conduct. According to the Oregon Revised Statutes, both are felony offenses that can carry substantial prison time, depending on convictions and how a judge ultimately sentences a defendant.
The Deschutes County grand jury handed down the indictment on March 24, and authorities say the investigation is still active. Officials have not yet released a court calendar or further scheduling details. KATU reports that the High Desert Education Service District has cooperated with investigators and that Hernandez is no longer employed by the agency.
