A U.S. citizen arrested in Bogotá after a viral video sparked allegations of child sexual abuse has been released without charges after Colombian authorities concluded there was no evidence of a crime.
According to Colombia's prosecutor's office, there was "no sexual abuse and no physical violence" and "no evidence indicating criminal conduct," findings reported by Noticias Caracol and later confirmed by Colombian child welfare officials.
The case began Sunday when a video circulated on social media showing a 36-year-old man from Texas holding a young child near the railing of a balcony in Bogotá's Chicó Navarra neighborhood. Neighbors who witnessed the scene accused the man of abusing the child, and dozens gathered outside the building demanding his arrest.
Bogotá Mayor Carlos Galán confirmed that police took the man into custody and that three children found inside the apartment were taken for medical evaluation while authorities investigated the allegations.
However, Colombian President Gustavo Petro publicly questioned the accusations on Monday, citing preliminary findings that suggested the incident had been misinterpreted. In a lengthy statement on X, Petro said the man "apparently did not" abuse any children and had instead taken one of the children onto the balcony because the child was choking on food.
"If these indications of the facts are confirmed, justice must grant him all his rights as a human being," Petro wrote, adding that the episode offered "a good lesson in reality for those of us who can easily be collectively deceived."
Petro also argued that Colombians are increasingly vulnerable to "computer manipulation" and misinformation spread through social media, linking the controversy to broader concerns he has repeatedly raised about information campaigns and political influence ahead of Colombia's presidential runoff election.
Debo notificar a la sociedad colombiana porque mi compromiso es con la verdad, que el ciudadano norteamericano de origen en Texas, capturado en un apartamento del norte de Bogotá, al parecer no violó ninguno de sus hijos adoptados en Colombia
— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) June 16, 2026
Lo saco al balcón por un atoramiento…
According to reporting by El País, the man had traveled to Colombia with his partner as part of an adoption process involving three children. Authorities said one of the children told investigators that the man, whom he referred to as his father, took him to the balcony after an issue involving a toy and to help calm him down.
Asrid Cáceres, director of Colombia's Family Welfare Institute, said medical examinations found no evidence of sexual violence and that the children appeared calm and consistent in their accounts of what occurred.
