Phoenix man, woman accused of sexual misconduct with seven-year-old

A horrific crime involving a young girl has landed a Valley man and woman in jail.

According to court documents, Marisa Marie Claire, 36, and Matthew Kevin Dunlap, 40, are facing multiple charges, with Claire charged with two counts of sexual conduct with a minor, a count of child molestation, and two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor.

Dunlap, meanwhile, is charged with eight counts of sexual conduct with a minor, 12 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, and a count of child molestation.

Court documents revealed disturbing details surrounding the case. Documents state Claire was identified on two videos dated from late July of 2016. The videos were obtained from Apple, Inc. after a search warrant was served for Dunlap's iCloud storage account.

Court documents related to Dunlap stated that he admitted to the offenses, and stated he engaged in sex acts with a seven-year-old from October of 2016 through October of 2017, and estimated he engaged in sex acts with the girl about twice a week.

According to court documents, Dunlap was identified as the person engaging in sexual conduct with a minor under the age of 15 on eight videos.

The juvenile victim, according to court documents, was known to Dunlap. Meanwhile, Claire was reportedly hired by the Deer Valley Unified School District a month ago.

Meanwhile, the principal of Esperanza Elementary School, a school in the Deer Valley Unified School District, sent out a letter to their parents on the incident.


Dear Esperanza Parent/Guardian,

There is some information that we feel is important to share with you as we work together to
ensure a safe and secure school community.

Esperanza School administrators became aware that police are investigating a cross-walk guard
and monitor who has worked at the school since April. This staff member is not currently
working on campus. She was arrested for an alleged crime involving a minor. It is important to
point out that the alleged crime did not occur on our campus.

DVUSD Human Resources is following all legal procedures during this investigation. This staff
member passed all of the required background checks during the hiring process.We do not have
any additional information at this time.

The safety of our students remains a top priority for Esperanza Elementary and the Deer Valley
Unified School District.

Sincerely,

 

Melissa Sepuka
Principal


Both Claire and Dunlap, according to court documents, are scheduled for preliminary hearings on May 22. A bond of $150,000 has been set for Claire and Dunlap, and both cannot be released from jail until electronic monitoring equipment has been installed.

In addition, court documents listed a number of release conditions for Claire and Dunlap, including a ban on any contact with minors, without exceptions.