Fontana police are asking potential victims and parents or guardians to contact investigators after arresting a 21-year-old Los Angeles man accused of using Instagram, Snapchat and X to target children for sexual images and in-person meetings. Investigators say the case, which began with a report in August, has since widened as detectives uncover more potential victims tied to the suspect's online footprint.
Investigation Began With a Report Involving a Child Under 14
Fontana police detectives opened the investigation in August after receiving reports that a child younger than 14 had been sexually exploited by an adult the child met on social media, according to KTLA. That investigation led detectives to identify Sergio Cortes as a suspect, and police arrested him on Oct. 15 in connection with the alleged crimes.
According to the outlet's report, Cortes used Instagram, Snapchat and X to request sexual images and videos from minors and attempted to meet them in person. Police say he also misrepresented his age in an attempt to take advantage of unsuspecting victims.
Detectives Say Social Media Trail Points to More Potential Victims
Following the arrest, detectives uncovered information linking Cortes's social media accounts and phone number to additional potential victims, per the same report. Investigators believe there may be other minors who had online contact with him and are asking anyone who may have been affected to come forward.
Authorities have provided photos of Cortes to help potential victims identify him, and they released the specific accounts investigators tied to the case. Cortes allegedly used the Instagram handles 806cortez, goat.3786383, guer.o92837, gecko.26911611 and 9corttez, the Snapchat handle cortes262277, and the X handle @alexr654478.
How to Report Contact With the Suspect
Fontana police say the information already gathered may help investigators identify others who were affected and are urging anyone with relevant knowledge to reach out. Anyone under 18 who had contact with Cortes, or any parent or guardian who suspects their child was contacted by him, is asked to contact Fontana PD Detective Romo by email at [email protected] or by phone at (909) 356-3350. People of any age are encouraged to contact police about the case.
Part of a Broader Surge in Reported Online Exploitation
The Fontana case comes amid a sharp nationwide rise in reports of online crimes against children. Reports to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children's CyberTipline involving online enticement jumped from 292,951 in the first half of 2024 to 518,720 in the first half of 2025, according to missingkids.org. The organization also reported that financial sextortion reports rose from 13,842 to 23,593 and that child sex trafficking reports climbed from 5,976 to 62,891 over the same comparison periods, while reports involving generative artificial intelligence tied to child sexual exploitation soared from 6,835 to 440,419.
Those national figures are not tied to the Fontana case specifically, but they underscore the scale of the problem investigators describe locally. For now, Fontana police continue to lean on the digital trail left behind by Cortes's accounts as they work to determine how many children may have been contacted.
