How police tracked down suspects in AI deepfake investigation involving dozens of women

In September 2025, the Ottawa Police Service launched a multijurisdictional investigation after a victim reported being depicted in harmful content online. The inquiry eventually uncovered a scheme involving more than 50 women across Nova Scotia, Ontario, and Nunavut, whose social media photos were manipulated into fabricated, violent scenes of sexual exploitation, torture, and kidnapping. As of February 2026, two men have been charged in connection with the case.

What happened

The investigation, led by Det. Const. Dakota Bashford, began after a report of harmful content on a file-hosting website. Court documents allege that Stephen Lowe, 60, of Maitland, N.S., uploaded approximately 7,200 files, including graphic movie posters and images portraying victims in non-consensual sexual and violent scenarios. The content spanned over five years and utilized deepfake technology to superimpose victims' faces onto explicit imagery.

Police utilized production orders to obtain data from X, Meta, Microsoft, and Airbnb to track the perpetrators. The investigation faced significant hurdles, including erroneous data from Airbnb and the refusal of certain hosting platforms to cooperate with Canadian law enforcement. Investigators eventually linked specific IP addresses to the suspects. One suspect, Gregry Peter Joseph Van Beek, 38, of West Nipissing, Ont., is also alleged to have engaged in predatory behavior, including surreptitiously recording a victim at her residence.

Stephen Lowe faces 79 charges, including harassment, uttering threats, and the possession and publication of obscene and child sexual abuse material. Gregry Peter Joseph Van Beek faces seven charges, including harassment by watching and besetting and publishing intimate images without consent. As of May 2026, police were still working to identify a third potential suspect. The allegations remain unproven in court.