The men are accused of drugging the children and bringing them to a local storm shelter where the abuse took place.
Three Alabama men have been arrested for allegedly operating what local authorities described as an "abhorrent" and "horrific" child sex abuse ring out of an underground bunker near their homes in Brent, Ala.
The Bibb County Sheriff's Office announced this past weekend that William Chase McElroy, Dalton Terrell, and Andres Velazquez-Trejo have all been arrested and charged in connection with the child sex abuse case.
Local authorities began investigating the case back in February, the Bibb County Sheriff's Office said in a social media post announcing the men's arrest on Saturday.
The Bibb County Sheriff's Office said McElroy, 21, has been charged with four counts of rape, six counts of human trafficking, six counts of sodomy, and four counts of kidnapping. Terrell, also 21, was charged with six counts of rape, 12 counts of sodomy, and five counts of human trafficking. Meanwhile, Velazquez-Trejo, 29, was charged with six counts of human trafficking.
"Sheriff Wade reiterates that such abhorrent behavior will not be tolerated in Bibb County and that offenders will face prosecution to the fullest extent of the law," the sheriff's office said in a statement. "As this is an ongoing case, details are currently limited."
Some details have emerged from local reports, however.
AL.com reported over the weekend that the three men allegedly carried out their child sex abuse operation for more than a year, between January 2024 and April 2025. The men's alleged victims ranged from 3-to-10 years old, the outlet reported, citing charging documents.
McElroy and Terrell allegedly admitted to sexually abusing the children, according to AL.com, while Velazquez-Trejo is accused of selling nude images of the victims to other suspects before also selling the children themselves.
According to AL.com, authorities haven't yet determined how the three men knew each other, but noted they all live in trailers within a mile of one another.
The children were allegedly drugged and brought to the bunker, according to a report by WBRC, which also described the bunker as a local storm shelter.
Robert Turner Jr., the District Attorney for the 4th Circuit of Alabama, said in a statement on Tuesday that there are "more anticipated arrests to follow" beyond the three men already indicted.
"This case represents one of the most troubling and complex investigations our office has undertaken; these allegations are sadistic and sickening," Turner Jr. said.
Assistant District Attorney Bryan Jones said "it's just unimaginable that someone could do this to a child," according to WBRC.
"Children are defenseless, and they depend on adults to take care of them and protect them," Jones added. "And then when adults do these types of things to them, it's just really horrific."
Neighbors and other community members have since taken to social media to call for justice. Misty Colburn, a neighbor who lived near one of the suspects, told WVTM that she believes the men "deserve way worse" than prison in her mind.
"I couldn't imagine the amount of pain the children went through and the amount of pain that they should go through," the neighbor said. "I don't think there's a way to even do it."