Marysville man accused of raping wife's 12-year-old daughter

MARYSVILLE, Washington — A Marysville mother said a hunch led her to plant a hidden camera in her house, which she later said revealed a horrible discovery: Her husband raping her 12-year-old daughter.

Police in Marysville said the woman filmed the sexual assault on Tuesday and brought it to police Saturday. Officers said the woman was afraid the suspect in the case would lash out.

According to court documents, the woman thought something was wrong with her daughter. On Tuesday, her husband told the woman to go get food; she thought that was odd, so she set up the camera in the girl’s bedroom.

Officers later reviewed the tape, which showed the woman’s husband raping the girl, according to the documents.

“I would do the same thing if I thought something like that was happening because that’s your baby, you know?” said Amber Baldwin, who lives down the street from where the alleged crime occurred.

Baldwin and her husband, Dustin, said the Marysville neighborhood is filled with young families.

“Almost everybody in this neighborhood has kids that are five and under,” Dustin Baldwin said.

The 35-year-old suspect appeared in court Monday to face a rape charge.

The victim told police she’d been sexually abused several times a week for the last year, according to the documents. The girl’s mother told police “she had seen some inappropriate pictures of some juvenile females on their computer.”

Officers said they are looking into the accusations.

“Right now, it’s an open investigation, so we can’t reveal any of the specific details yet,” said Robb Lamoreux with the Marysville Police Department.

In the meantime, the Baldwins said they’re telling neighbors to talk to their children.

“I’m definitely going to get on my phone and start texting my friends that live in here,” Amber Baldwin said.

The suspect’s bail has been set at $100,000.

KIRO