On January 12,2026, the Ephrata Police Department Investigations Section filed criminal charges against Gustavo Fernandez-Barbosa, 49, of Tucson, Arizona, for the following:  four counts of Rape of a Child (F1), four counts of Involuntary Deviate Sexual Intercourse (F1), Statutory Sexual Assault (F1), Aggravated Indecent Assault of a Child (F1), Indecent Assault (F3), Corruption of Minors (F3), and Unlawful Contact with a Minor (F1). The criminal charges were filed following an investigation into a report of child sexual abuse that the Ephrata Police Department received from the Lancaster County Children and Youth Services in February of 2024. It was alleged that Gustavo Fernandez-Barbosa, while living in Ephrata during the period of 2015 and 2016, had sexually assaulted a 7-year-old child victim. Gustavo was a family friend who resided in the same residence with the victim and sometimes babysat while the child’s mother was not home. The Ephrata Police Department holds an arrest warrant for Gustavo Fernandez-Barbosa. Anyone with information on Gustavo Fernandez-Barbosa's whereabouts is encouraged to contact the Ephrata Police Department. 

All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.