The GBI has arrested and charged Brayden Heath, age 19, of Centerville, Fairfax County, Virginia, with two counts of Sexual Exploitation of Children, one count of First Degree Cruelty to Children, and one count of Grooming of a Minor for a Sexual Offense.
In September of 2026, the Candler County Sheriff’s Office requested the GBI’s Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes (CEACC) Unit to assist with an investigation into the online possession and distribution of child sexual abuse material. This investigation led to an address in Centerville, Virginia, and resulted in Heath’s arrest in Fairfax County, Virginia.
Heath was arrested by the Virginia State Police ICAC Task Force on Thursday, October 8, 2026, in Centerville, Virginia, and was later extradited to Georgia and booked into the Candler County Jail on October 22, 2026.
The Virginia State Police ICAC Task Force and the Candler County Sheriff’s Office assisted with the investigation.
This investigation is part of the ongoing effort by the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, housed within 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 GBI CEACC Unit at 404-270-8870 or submit a tip via the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children CyberTipline at Cybertipline.org.
