A former Beachwood nanny pleaded guilty in federal court Monday to charges accusing her of sexually exploiting two toddlers in her care and sharing images of the alleged abuse, according to prosecutors. They say the crimes happened inside families' Northeast Ohio homes while she was on the job and that she recorded the assaults on her phone. A judge accepted the plea and set a sentencing hearing for this summer.
Molly Elisabeth Duncan, 25, admitted to two counts of sexual exploitation of children and also pleaded guilty to federal possession and distribution charges, as reported by WKYC. U.S. District Judge Pamela A. Barker accepted the guilty pleas and scheduled Duncan to be sentenced on July 22, 2026, the station reported.
Evidence Investigators Say They Found
Federal prosecutors say both victims were younger than 2 and were abused in homes in Portage and Geauga counties. Forensic analysis of Duncan’s electronic devices turned up multiple child sexual abuse material files of each victim, according to investigators. They allege Duncan recorded the visual depictions on her cellphone and distributed the files through a popular social media platform to multiple users, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio.
How Investigators Connected the Case
The criminal complaint and a follow-up search of Duncan’s residence produced several devices that agents say contained child sexual abuse material, officials said. As reported by a multi-agency probe, the investigation involved Homeland Security Investigations and the Ohio Internet Crimes Against Children task force working with local prosecutors to pull the pieces together.
Penalties and Next Steps
Under federal law the sexual exploitation counts carry mandatory minimum and statutory maximum prison terms that can run for decades, and the distribution and possession counts add even more potential time. Per the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Duncan faces up to 30 years on each sexual exploitation count and up to 20 years on each distribution or possession count. She is due to be sentenced on July 22, 2026.
What Officials Are Urging
Authorities said the case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood and urged anyone with information to contact the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force tip line. As reported by WKYC, investigators are continuing to gather evidence ahead of Duncan’s sentencing.
