California man pretended to be 11-year-old girl online to groom kids into making porn, police say

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A disturbing case of a suspected serial child sex predator out of California has ties in Houston after detectives said that some of his 80 victims were identified in our area.

The suspect would pretend to be an 11-year-old girl online and groom children into making pornography, according to authorities.

California police arrested 24-year-old Demetrius Carl Davis back in December, and since then they have been reaching out to victims across the country.

So far 80 children have been identified, including four in Houston and three others in Texas. Police said at least 20 more still need to be identified, not just in the United States but around the world.

A tip led authorities to Davis at the end of 2021 when officials said they found numerous files in cellphones and accounts that he was using to communicate.

"On their siblings, on their relatives and other kids that they know and film it and then send that video to our suspect," said Sgt. Rod Grassmann with the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office.

Authorities said there are more victims and urge parents to check their kids' electronic devices. If you think your child sent any illicit material to someone named "Lizzy," contact police.

Kelly Litvak, Childproof America's executive director said sexual predator cases are in the rise during the pandemic. A lot of kids were online doing schooling at that point and we know predators pray where kids play," Litvak explained.

Litvak said look for your kid spending time on devices at night, being tired during the day, and them not acting right. If you see that your childs behavior is changing, and theyre being disrespectful to you, or just really distant from you," Litvak explained.

Litvak said have difficult conversations. If something is discovered, don't be embarrassed, or delete the information. Instead, contact police.

This is a risk that is right here within inches of your childs face," Litvak said. "We as parents need to be equipped, informed and empower our children to make wise, and informed decisions.