A 32-year-old Chambersburg man is facing felony charges after Franklin County police said he sexually abused a missing 16-year-old girl and recorded the abuse on his own phone. Devin Cox was taken to Franklin County Jail after investigators executed a search warrant and reportedly found two nude photos of the victim along with a video of Cox having sex with her.
The case traces back to May 2026, when a father reported his 16-year-old daughter missing, according to WHP. The girl was found after spending the night with Cox in a shed. Court documents indicate Cox referred to the teenager as his underage girlfriend, and he was arrested on May 6, 2026, on an unrelated charge along with corruption of minors charges, per the affidavit described in the outlet's report.
The investigation escalated after a witness told police that Cox had shown her nude photos and videos of himself having sex with the 16-year-old. That tip reportedly led police to obtain a search warrant for Cox's phone, which was placed into secure property storage after the two nude images and the video were recovered from the device, the station's report states.
Earlier Police Contact Preceded the Search Warrant
Before the digital evidence surfaced, Chambersburg Police had already been alerted to concerns about the relationship. In May 2026, officers responded to a home after the girl's father reported that his daughter was involved with a man he initially believed was 25 years old, according to News Talk 103.7 FM. Police later identified the man as Cox, then 31.
Cox is now facing charges tied to sexually abusing a missing 16-year-old, per police cited in the report. He has bail set at $50,000 and is awaiting a preliminary hearing scheduled for August 25.
What Pennsylvania Law Says About the Charges
Under Pennsylvania Title 18 Section 6301(a)(1)(ii), corruption of minors involving a sexual offense is graded as a third-degree felony carrying up to seven years in prison, a $15,000 fine, and mandatory 15-year Tier I sexual offender registration under SORNA, according to the Zuckerman Law Firm. Separately, Pennsylvania law under 18 Pa.C.S. § 3122.1 classifies sexual intercourse with a minor under 16 as first-degree statutory sexual assault when the adult offender is 11 or more years older, a charge punishable by up to 20 years in prison, per Allegheny Attorneys at Law.
The recovered video and photos also carry their own distinct legal exposure. Under 18 Pa.C.S. § 6312, creating or filming a minor under 18 engaged in a prohibited sexual act is classified as sexual abuse of children, a second-degree felony carrying up to 10 years in prison per image or video, according to Frank Walker Law. Additionally, intentionally removing a child from their residence to conceal their whereabouts from a parent without court authorization is a third-degree felony under Title 18 Section 2908 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, per the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's criminal code.
Part of a Pattern in Franklin County
Franklin County recorded 499 reports of suspected child abuse in 2024 among a juvenile population of 34,639, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services' 2024 Child Protective Services Report. The county has also seen a string of similar prosecutions this year. Hoodline reported in June that Pennsylvania State Police charged a Virginia woman with felony aggravated assault and corruption of minors for allegedly stalking a 16-year-old through phone apps and location-tracking tools, and that same month a Maryland man was jailed on a $250,000 bail hold in Franklin County following a forensic interview with a young victim.
Earlier this month, Hoodline also reported that a 27-year-old Maryland man was charged with rape and human trafficking after allegedly transporting a missing 14-year-old girl across state lines to a hotel along the Interstate 81 corridor. In January 2025, federal and state law enforcement had similarly executed search warrants in Guilford Township, arresting a 31-year-old Chambersburg man on charges of child rape and manufacturing child sexual abuse material following a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The case against Cox remains in its early stages, with the preliminary hearing set for next week. As with all pending criminal cases, the charges against Cox remain allegations that have not yet been proven in court.
