Pearland man jailed after couple finds trove of child porn

Tad Jeremy Costin, of Pearland, is jailed on no bond on a charge of sexual assault of a child under the age of 14. Authorities are looking for young girls who may have been among his many alleged victims. Tad Jeremy Costin, of Pearland, is jailed on no bond on a charge of sexual assault of a child under the age of 14. Authorities are looking for young girls who may have been among his many alleged victims. Photo: Harris County Sheriff's Office Photo: Harris County Sheriff's Office Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Pearland man jailed after couple finds trove of child porn 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

A Pearland man accused of sexually assaulting little girls, some as young as 1, is in jail as authorities look to identify at least some of his victims.

Tad Jeremy Costin, 41, was arrested about Friday at his Pearland home, following an investigation that began late last month in Liberty County.

Costin and his girlfriend briefly lived in Liberty County before moving to Pearland, said Kathryn Kahle, the chief prosecutor in the child exploitation division of the Harris County District Attorney's Office.

On Oct. 20, the parents of Costin's girlfriend were going through a box of items left behind when their daughter moved out of their Liberty County home a couple years ago, Kahle said.

They found a portable computer memory card known as a "secure digital," or SD, card.

The mother needed an SD card and put it into her computer, Kahle said. She found it contained a large number of photos of Costin engaged in sexual acts with young girls, the prosecutor said.

A statement from the Liberty County Sheriff's Office puts the ages of the children at between 1 and 6.

"There are so many we don't even have a number yet," Kahle said of the photos. "There are at least hundreds."

The couple recognized the home as one where Costin had previously lived, in southeast Harris County, Kahle said.

Authorities are asking anyone who knows girls or young women who could have been among Costin's victims to come forward, Kahle said.

"We mainly want to find them so we can be sure they're getting help," she said Monday.

Some of the photos appear to date from 1990, according to a news release from the Liberty County Sheriff's Office.

Other agencies involved in the investigation included the Pearland Police Department, Harris County Crimes Against Children Task Force, Harris County Sheriff's Office and Homeland Security.

Homeland Security was involved after investigators learned that Costin might have been planning to leave the country, the news release said. Costin, charged with sexual assault of a child, is in the Harris County Jail without bail.

Anyone with information should contact Houston Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS (8477).