Toronto police unveiled the results of a major child sexual abuse and exploitation investigation Wednesday morning, announcing the arrest of a 42-year-old man from Hamilton who faces more than 100 related charges.
Inspector Keri Fernandes of the Toronto Police Sex Crimes Unit detailed the case Wednesday morning at police headquarters, alongside representatives from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, who partnered on the cross‑border investigation.
“Investigators identified a Canadian suspect who was allegedly paying for, and directing the live-stream sexual abuse of children in the Philippines,” said Fernandes on Wednesday.
Fernandes shared that in October 2025, authorities in the Philippines conducted a rescue operation that led to the retrieval of four children.
In March 2026, a search warrant was later executed at a Hamilton residence near Kenilworth Avenue North and Cannon Street East, leading to the arrest of a 42-year-old Stephen Tolys, who was initially charged with sexual exploitation.
Fernandes said new leads in the case then led to the investigation’s scope expanding greatly, with Tolys at the centre of it all.
“As a result, Mr. Tolys now faces 130 additional criminal charges related to the purchase and the direction of the live-stream sexual abuse of children, bringing the total to 136 charges,” she said, including two counts of possessing child sexual abuse and exploitation material, 49 counts of accessing child sexual abuse and exploitation material and 29 counts of making child sexual abuse and exploitation material, among additional related criminal offences.
He appeared in court on March 26, 2026.
“These additional charges speak to the scale of the alleged offences and our commitment to following every lead and holding offenders accountable.”
Police allege Tolys used multiple usernames across social media platforms, including Tupac101, Steve101, Steve‑o, Jumpinjacks666, Mighty, and Mightymann66. Investigators believe there may be additional victims and are urging anyone who communicated with these accounts to contact police at 416‑808‑8500.
An image of the accused has also been released to assist in identifying potential victims.
These allegations have not yet been proven in court.
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