Philippine Official Names Meghan's Half-Brother Thomas Markle Jr. a Person of Interest in Abuse Probe

Philippine Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said at a Thursday press conference in Manila that Thomas Markle Jr., 60, the estranged half-brother of the Duchess of Sussex, is a person of interest in the inquiry into child sexual abuse material allegedly tied to their father, Thomas Markle Sr., 82. Remulla said there are signs the son may be involved but that he is not yet a suspect. Markle Jr. had alerted Philippine police and the FBI to images he said he found in his father's belongings. Remulla said investigators found thousands of images of under-age males and females, and that a witness alleged underage girls were brought to a residence linked to the case. He said the FBI is helping identify the devices' registration because six phones came from the U.S. He said he declined to view the material and called it the most deplorable he had seen. Markle Sr. returned to the U.S. from the Philippines in May. The investigation is ongoing, and authorities have not determined who owns the devices.

The right-leaning New York Post and Daily Caller both put the person-of-interest label in their headlines and feature Remulla's remark that accusing only the father is half the police work. They also lead with the witness allegation about underage girls. The Post calls the update shocking, cites about 7,500 items, and recalls the Daily Mail's October claim about a Mexico storage unit. The Daily Caller labels its story a report, relays Markle Jr.'s claim of finding hundreds if not thousands of images in four boxes, and gives about 500 items. The left-leaning Guardian instead leads on Philippine authorities saying he is not being treated as a suspect. It cites more than 7,000 photos and one video, details the children's ages and backgrounds, and says his alleged involvement is not thought to be directly linked to the material he handed over. It also reports that Markle Sr. has reportedly moved into a U.S. care home for dementia patients. All three attribute the core statements to Remulla. TMZ's coverage matches the basic facts.