A rental property in Oakhurst is where the Madera County Sheriff says 44-year-old Christian Parmalee Edwards was caught secretly filming his guests without their knowledge.
Investigators say he not only filmed from outside through the blinds but also from the inside of the house, as he was living on the third story.
"Whether he was sneaking down, we're not sure of the circumstances. He's also secretly videotaping children clothed, but like zooming into inappropriate places on children," says Madera County Sheriff Tyson Pogue.
After several tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children flagged the home, Madera County sheriff's deputies served a search warrant and uncovered Edwards had filmed anywhere between 10-15 women and at least one child around six years old without their clothes on.
RELATED: Man arrested for recording guests without their knowledge at Oakhurst rental property, deputies say
Investigators seized 30 different devices with over 4,000 files of child sex abuse material.
We are now learning of even more sinister discoveries.
"We found some brand-new children's underwear. So, you can see the escalation here, that at some point he was probably going to become a hands-on offender," says Sheriff Pogue.
Sheriff Pogue told Action News that deputies believe Edwards was watching a video of a nude female guest moments before he was taken into custody.
"His last rental checked out on March 16. The video he was actually watching on his phone when detectives opened that phone was the recording from March 16," says Sheriff Pogue.
The vacation house is located not far from Yosemite.
Deputies say Edwards first listed it online as a short-term commercial rental in July of 2025, and that the videos they recovered date back to that time.
"It's a hub for worldwide tourism, so this was a typically commercial rented short-term rental. He was also doing private transactions where he would advertise on Facebook or Craigslist," says Sheriff Pogue.
Action News has now obtained the criminal complaint filed against Edwards. At this point, he is facing one felony count for his possession of child sex abuse material.
During his first hearing, a judge lowered his bail from $225,000 to $75,000. Sheriff Pogue tells Action News that his potential consequences may be surprisingly minimal.
"If he gets convicted of that, depending on his criminal history and other factors, he may get two or three years. I would say he only has to do 50% in our state jails. I think it's shocking that it's not more serious," says Sheriff Pogue.
The investigation is still in the beginning stages, as deputies continue to sift through all of the evidence they recovered.
The sheriff's office is now asking anyone who believes they may have stayed at the property to come forward and contact them.
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