By Eric Stevick, Herald Writer

stevick@hearldnet.com

EVERETT — Prosecutors believe a Marysville couple sexually abused their 6-year-old child and advertised her for others to molest.

The man, 56, and his wife, 34, are accused of child rape, child molestation and sexual exploitation of a minor. They were arrested Nov. 7 and booked into the Snohomish County Jail.

Child Protective Services removed the child and her 11-month-old sibling from the home.

Detectives traced 190 Craigslist ads to an anonymous email address the couple allegedly kept. The ads expressed several themes, including “taboo” sex, sex slavery, incest, incest watching, “nude camming,” being nude in a family setting and nude housekeeping in exchange for rent, a police report says.

The investigation also uncovered four emails allegedly between the Marysville man and a Dallas, Texas, suspect who was under investigation by Florida authorities for receiving and distributing child pornography.

Prosecutors believe the June correspondence shows the pair discussing the possibility of a meeting with the person from Dallas to have sex with their children at the Marysville home.

When the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office showed up at the couple’s home with a search warrant, the husband allegedly told a deputy that he was “scared to death” because of potentially incriminating sexually explicit photographs of the girl on his cellphone. He also allegedly admitted to having sexual contact with the child.

His wife allegedly admitted to aiding in the sexual abuse between the man and daughter.

Neither suspect has been formally charged. The Globe-Times is not publishing their names because it would identify the child who allegedly was abused. Both suspects were being held on $500,000 bail.