A U.S. missionary accused of running an unlicensed orphanage in Cap-Haïtien has been detained over allegations of child sexual abuse, Haitian police told the Associated Press.

Arold Jean, a police spokesperson in Cap-Haïtien, said U.S. authorities arrested Thomas Osbeck there on September 30. He did not name the U.S. agency involved.

Jean said investigators found explicit messages sent to children on the suspect's phone, and that at least a dozen children have had medical examinations. Osbeck did not have the required paperwork to run an orphanage, he said. Authorities found at least 12 minors in his care.

Jean said he expects Osbeck to be extradited to the United States. It was not clear whether Osbeck has a lawyer. He has not been convicted of any crime.

The case follows U.S. charges against Maylon Foshee, a 23-year-old from Louisiana accused of abusing minors during mission trips to Gonaïves, and the 2025 conviction in Miami of Michael Geilenfeld for abusing boys at an orphanage he founded in Port-au-Prince.

Anyone with information about the abuse of children can contact the Haitian National Police or IBESR, Haiti's child welfare agency.