LAWRENCEBURG, Ind. -- A molestation case against an Aurora, Indiana man is expanding as investigators locate more children they believe were victims, the Dearborn County prosecutor said.
Steven Rekowski, 44, was arrested Jan. 1 after a woman claimed he molested her 4-year-old daughter and used his cell phone to take photos of the alleged abuse. A friend of Rekowski's tipped the mother after finding the images on his phone, she told police.
The woman had locked Rekowski in her laundry room until police arrived. She told investigators that she believes the abuse happened while Rekowski had babysat the girl.
Investigators said Rekowski later admitted to taking the photos while in custody.
Dearborn County Prosecutor Aaron Negangard said law enforcement officials canvassed the area near where Rekowski lived, interviewing any child they were aware he had contact with.
At this point, Negangard said his office has identified seven children it believes were victims; all are girls between the ages of 4 and 10. Negangard also said some of the girls were drugged, likely by adult-strength muscle relaxants found in Rekowski's home.
"It's pretty clear from the video itself that there's more than just a kid who's fallen asleep," Negangard said.
Negangard said searches of Rekowski's house and storage unit revealed bags of children's clothes, children's underwear and computers and laptops that are being analyzed.
"There's still a lot to sort through," Negangard said. "I think we've only touched the tip of the iceberg as far as the mountain of evidence we've already seen."
Negangard said all of the alleged victims were children of Rekowski's friends, neighbors or people he'd had relationships with in the past. He was trusted by those parents and often babysat the children, Negangard said.
"Parents certainly need to be careful about who they let watch their children -- and you just can't be too careful," Negangard said.
According to court documents, Rekowski faces a dozen felony counts: six counts of child molesting, three counts of child exploitation, two counts of attempting to commit child molesting and one count of performing sexual conduct in the presence of a minor.
