Eatonton, Putnam County, GA (March 4, 2026) - The GBI has arrested and charged Matthew Marrero Garcia, age 42, of Eatonton, Putnam County, Georgia, with six counts of Sexual Exploitation of Children.

In February 2026, the GBI’s Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes (CEACC) Unit began an investigation into Garcia’s online activity after receiving a Cyber Tipline Report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) regarding the possession of child sexual abuse material. This investigation led to Garcia’s arrest at his place of employment in Baldwin County. A search warrant was later executed at his home in Putnam County. The Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office, the Eatonton Police Department, and the GBI Cyber Crime Center assisted with this investigation.

Garcia was arrested on Tuesday, March 3, 2026, and booked into the Baldwin County Jail before being transported to the Putnam County Jail.

This investigation is part of the ongoing effort by the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, housed with the GBI’s Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit, to identify those involved in the trade of child sexual abuse material. The ICAC Program, created by the U.S. Department of Justice, was developed in response to the increasing number of children and teenagers using the internet, the proliferation of child sexual abuse material, and the heightened online activity by predators searching for unsupervised contact with underage victims.

Anyone with information about other cases of child exploitation is asked to contact the Georgia Bureau of Investigation CEACC Unit at 404-270-8870 or report via the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children CyberTipline at Cybertipline.org. Anonymous tips can also be submitted by calling 1-800-597-TIPS (8477), online at https://gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-online, or by downloading the See Something, Send Something mobile app.

Contact

Assistant Special Agent in Charge Renea Green

[email protected]