Interpol Issues Blue Notice for American Accused of Child Exploitation in Colombia

The International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol), in coordination with the Colombian National Police, issued a Blue Notice on Tuesday, April 9th, against Timothy Alan Livingston, the American citizen accused of child sexual exploitation at a hotel in Medellin.

After being found in the company of two minors on March 28 at the Hotel Gotham in ‘El Poblado’, the American was detained by the police for 12 hours. He was subsequently released because, according to authorities, at the time there was insufficient evidence to justify his detention. He managed to return to the US on Friday, March 29. With the Blue Notice, Interpol aims to gather more information regarding the suspect’s identity, whereabouts, and criminal activities to facilitate his arrest.

The Office of the Attorney General said that Livingston has a criminal record in the United States for alleged sexual abuse of two minors. On April 5th, a control judge issued a warrant for Livingston’s arrest upon the request of the Office of the Attorney General. The suspect will be held accountable for charges including sexual acts with a minor under 14 years old and commercial sexual exploitation of a minor under 18.

The Attorney General of Colombia, Margarita Cabello Blanco, during a recent visit to Medellin, confirmed the initiation of a disciplinary investigation against eight members of the National Police involved in the case, who attended on the day of the incident.

According to Colombian authorities, the investigation is prompted by allegations that the officials did not hand over Livingston to the competent authority, to continue with the procedure within the timeframes established by the Criminal Procedure Code. The eight investigated officers, including a sub-lieutenant, an inspector, a sub-inspector, and five patrol officers, will also have to answer for the failure to preserve the crime scene with items allegedly found in the room, such as drugs, alcohol, and condoms.

In recent days, the owner of the Hotel Gotham in Medellin, Bradley Hinkelman, issued a statement announcing the permanent closure of the hotel due to the severe damage to its reputation caused by communications from the Mayor of Medellin, who requested the forfeiture of the property.