Riverside man and woman arrested for sexually abusing minor for years, police say

Riverside police announced the arrests of a man and woman who have been accused of sexually abusing a minor for several years. 

The months-long investigation began on Jan. 2, when detectives with the Riverside Police Department learned of "ongoing sexual abuse of a minor," according to a Facebook post from the department. 

That same day, police arrested 55-year-old Riverside man William Thomas Trader. He has remained behind bars since then without bail and has been charged with nine felonies, including lewd and lascivious acts on a child under 14 and sodomy on a child under 10, police said. 

He is a registered sex offender who was previously convicted of sexually abusing a minor, they noted. 

While still investigating the matter, detectives also identified a second suspect who had moved out of California. She was identified as 46-year-old Merriam Dogillo and was arrested by U.S. Marshal in New York on March 6. She was awaiting extradition proceedings to be transferred to Riverside, where she is also expected to face multiple counts of sex abuse of a minor, police said. 

"Through meticulous work done by our investigators and METRO team, we were able to identify and arrest two individuals for horrific crimes against children," said Riverside police Captain Chad Milby. "These arrests were the result of extensive collaboration with various units within the police department, victim advocacy organizations and child protective services."

Anyone who may know more is asked to contact RPD at (951) 353-7609.