First look at reclusive Seattle brothers accused of sex crimes Investigation continues into Emery brothers as they plead not guilty to child pornography charges

Thomas Emery listens in the courtroom during his arraignment hearing, Thursday, Aug. 31, 2017, in Seattle. Emery is one of three elderly brothers facing child pornography charges after their arrest earlier in the month. The brothers pled not guilty. less Thomas Emery listens in the courtroom during his arraignment hearing, Thursday, Aug. 31, 2017, in Seattle. Emery is one of three elderly brothers facing child pornography charges after their arrest earlier in ... more Photo: GENNA MARTIN, SEATTLEPI.COM Photo: GENNA MARTIN, SEATTLEPI.COM Image 1 of / 17 Caption Close First look at reclusive Seattle brothers accused of sex crimes 1 / 17 Back to Gallery

Two of the three elderly Seattle brothers alleged to have been living in a “hoarder” house packed with a collection of child pornography, children’s clothing and handwritten notes describing, among other ghastly scenes, child murders have pleaded not guilty to child pornography charges.

Facing charges filed Aug. 21, Charles and Thomas Emery pleaded not guilty Thursday at King County Superior Court in Seattle. Edwin was not in court; he is currently at Harborview Medical Center. Each has been charged with possessing child pornography, though investigators continue to review evidence that may implicate them in additional crimes against children.

Detectives have spent days combing the reclusive brothers’ Green Lake-neighborhood home, where they appear to have lived together for 50 years. Investigators said the home was jammed with disturbing photographs, items and writings, including a collection of children's shoes and books describing the ritualistic abuse of children.

Investigations with the Seattle Police Department Internet Crimes Against Children team also searched a rural, wooded property near Shelton once occupied by a fourth Emery brother who recently died. That search raised suspicions that the brothers may have been involved in the disappearance of Lindsey Baum, a McCleary girl who was 10 in 2009 when she vanished walking home from a friend’s home.

Photo: Mulitple Lindsey Baum, 11, disappeared from McCleary on June 26, 2009. Her...

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The investigation into the Emery brothers began Aug. 9, after a relative came to police claiming to have found child pornography while packing up 82-year-old Charles Emery’s possessions to move him into a memory care facility. Thomas, 80, and Edwin Emery, 78, were still living in the two-story home in the 100 block of Northeast 59th Street when police arrested them.

Investigators arriving at the home found it covered “floor to ceiling with child exploitative images, children’s clothing articles, toys and movies,” Senior Deputy Prosecutor Cecelia Gregson said in charging papers. Handwritten notes found at the home described the murder of children.

“Charles Emery maintained an extensive ‘collection’ of materials related to the sexual assault and murder of female children,” Gregson said. “Edwin and Thomas Emery referred to Charles Emery’s manifestos detailing child rape and homicide and his extensive collection of items related thereto as ‘Charles’ hobby.”

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The woman who initially went to police pointed investigators to boxes of child pornography, girls’ clothing and magazine clippings related to missing or murdered young girls. Investigators claim to have recovered handwritten notes describing the kidnapping, torture, rape and murder of girls. Missing persons fliers were found in the home, including one for Lindsey Baum.

Since the searches, investigators had been combing evidence recovered from the home to determine whether the brothers may have killed or hurt children, beyond the identified victims they are believed to have sexually abused.

“A lot of these writings were very specific about harming children, abusing children and even murdering children,” said Seattle Police Department Capt. Mike Edwards said, who leads the regional Internet Crimes Against Children.

“The house itself was like one of the worst houses you’d ever see on an episode of ‘Hoarders,’” Edwards continued. "We don’t want to miss anything.”

According to charging papers, the woman discovered boxes of child pornography while cleaning out Charles Emery's possessions out of the home’s garage. Interviewed by detectives, Thomas Emery and Edwin Emery initially claimed they hadn't entered the garage where those boxes were stored in years, a claim investigators found wanting.

"Both Emery brothers remained nonchalant and relatively unconcerned about the serious nature of the investigation," a Seattle Police Department detective said in court papers.

Edwin Emery admitted to being sexually attracted to children, while Thomas Emery told investigators he kept hundreds of items of child pornography because he "considered it art,” the detective continued.

"Both Thomas and Edwin Emery denied knowledge of child homicide, but would reply to law enforcement questions on the topic that it was 'possible' if everything the officers was saying was true,” the detective said in court papers.

Edwards said the men appeared to have closed themselves off from much of the world, except for a fourth brother who lived in Shelton and died in late 2016. Police brought search dogs onto that site recently. What appears clear, Edwards said, is that they had been abusing girls known to them for decades without a report to police.

One woman told police she had been abused by Charles and Edwin Emery as a child, according to charging papers. Charles Emery was working as janitor at Seattle Children’s hospital when the abuse occurred.

Investigators will now undertake the difficult work of identifying the girls displayed in child pornography taken from the homes. Edwards said some of the material appeared to have been obtained online, but that it was too early to know whether the brothers had produced any on their own.

Writing the court, the detective outlined the bizarre, disturbing collection of items recovered from the home:

“Dozens of pairs of children’s shoes most of which are penny loafer-style shoes with pennies inserted in the front of the shoes; several pairs of minor female children-style underwear … ; dozens of books and articles related to child homicide, child sexual assault, and missing and murdered female child victims to include both local and national cases; dozens of images of minor female children apparently taken from advertisements placed in magazines and newspapers on which some contain handwritten notes concerning the sexual abuse and murder of the depicted child and/or children;

“Dozens of papers and scraps of papers containing handwritten notes detailing ritualistic and satanic sacrifices of minor female children, the sexual abuse of minor female children, the grooming and supplying of minor female children with vodka placed inside soda pop … and the repeated detailed description of how the minor female children would wear penny loafer shoes prior to the abuse and murder.”

Investigators found numerous books on ritualistic killings, graphic photos of child homicides and airplane bottles of vodka tucked inside the children’s shoes. Several rolls of microfiche film were also recovered.

Edwin Emery had been investigated in 2013 after bringing his desktop computer to Office Depot for service. An employee reported to police that the computer contained child pornography.

According to Conine’s statement, Edwin Emery was interviewed by police in 2013 and admitted to sexually abusing at least two people many years before. He also is alleged to have admitted to printing child pornography.

That investigation did not ultimately result in charges because most of the material found on Edwin Emery’s computer was not clearly child pornography, Edwards said.

The Emery brothers are being held at King County Jail. They have been charged with second-degree possession of depictions of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

Seattlepi.com reporter Levi Pulkkinen can be reached at 206-448-8348 or levipulkkinen@seattlepi.com. Follow Levi on Twitter at twitter.com/levipulk.