Deputies allegedly find 'gingerbread treehouse' filled with child porn in forest

KING COUNTY, Washington -- A government worker on the hunt for a storied 'gingerbread treehouse' in a Washington forest was shocked to find it allegedly contained a cache of child pornography.

The discovery by the Department of Natural Resources employee in a national forest back in 2016 led to the arrest of 56-year-old Daniel M. Wood.

According to the King County Sheriff's Office, it took the help of the FBI and some DNA evidence to connect Wood to the treehouse, KCPQ-TV reports.

The worker who discovered the mystical treehouse told investigators there were framed photos of young naked girls screwed into the walls, some appearing to be as young as 8 years old, court documents reveal.

A search and rescue volunteer told investigators he had seen a Toyota FJ Cruiser near the treehouse a number of times. He even had a license plate to the vehicle.

Deputies say that license plate led them to Wood's house.

According to court documents, deputies gathered DNA evidence from a motorcycle outside his home, in addition to a drinking cup.

Authorities said the DNA they found on both objects matched DNA evidence recovered at the treehouse.

A search warrant executed at Wood's home allegedly produced an SD card containing "thousands of images of child erotica and child pornography," according to court documents.

Among the images, deputies said, were photos of two young nude girls inside the treehouse.

Wood is now facing child pornography charges.