A 25-year-old Scranton woman faces a litany of severe felony charges after allegedly recording herself sexually abusing an 8-year-old boy and uploading the footage to TikTok. Zsionte D. Owens was arrested following an investigation by the Lackawanna County District Attorney’s Office, which uncovered evidence of repeated sexual abuse occurring throughout the month of March. The criminal complaint details a series of "horrendous" acts, including rape of a child and involuntary deviate sexual intercourse. District Attorney Brian Gallagher condemned the conduct in a news release, describing the filming of such abuse as representing a "level of depravity rarely seen" and a complete lack of humanity.
In addition to the physical abuse, investigators allege that Owens took active steps to conceal evidence and obstruct the ongoing probe. The evidence recovered includes sexually explicit recordings created by the defendant involving the young victim. Owens is currently being held at the Lackawanna County Prison after failing to post $500,000 bail.
