RIVERSIDE, California — A teenager who turned himself into police confessed to molesting 50 children over the past several years in Southern California, authorities said.
Eighteen-year-old Joseph Hayden Boston was brought to a Riverside police station on Saturday by his mother after he allegedly told her he had sexually assaulted two boys, ages 8 and 4, at a motel, according to Riverside police spokesman Officer Ryan Railsback.
During an interview with investigators, Boston confessed to the motel assaults and admitted molesting “upwards of 50 children” since he was 10 years old, Railsback said in a statement. The incidents happened in different cities, including Riverside.
Boston was arrested on suspicion of two counts of oral copulation on a child under the age of 10 and jailed in lieu of $1 million bails, the statement said.
“Hours later, the suspect called his own mother stating what he had just done,” Railsback said in the statement.
The suspect was staying in Riverside since early November 2017, but also resided in the cities of Lakewood and Buena Park in Southern California.
The County of Riverside Child Protective Services took custody of both juvenile victims from the motel, Railsback said.
Boston is scheduled to appear in court Wednesday. It was not immediately clear if he had an attorney, and a publicly listed phone number for him could not be located by The Associated Press on Sunday.
Authorities are asking for anyone with information about this investigation or the suspect, to contact Detective Paul Miranda at (951) 353-7945 or pmiranda@riversideca.gov.