Owner of vacation rental facing felony charges discovered dead

An Oakhurst man facing felony charges of secretly recording women and children in his rental units and possessing copious amounts of child sexual abuse material was found dead at home.

Christian Parmalee Edwards, 44, is believed to have committed suicide.

Edwards was arrested on March 19 after authorities received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) regarding the distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) activity occurring in Madera County.

Following a search warrant, more than 4,000 digital files containing CSAM were located at the home Edwards owned, located at 50730 Granite Butte Way in Oakhurst.

During their investigation, MCSO identified Oakhurst resident Edwards as the suspect.

MCSO said they also found evidence he was recording unsuspecting guests during private moments while they stayed at his short-term vacation rental.

He had been renting out the home since 2023.

At least 30 electronic devices associated with Edwards were seized for further examination as part of the ongoing investigation.

Edwards was reportedly living on a top floor of the home while he used the first and second stories as short term vacation rentals, both with online companies and private bookings.

Madera County Sheriff Tyson Pogue said Edwards was found watching his most recent videos when detectives contacted him to serve the search warrant.

Pogue said detectives found disturbing items in Edwards’ home including a childlike sex doll with its hands bound.

Prosecutors reportedly said Edwards would hide just feet away from his guests, recording them through cracks in the blinds and other hidden areas.

Prior to this arrest, Edwards reportedly had no criminal record.

Originally held on $225,000 bail, Edwards was released on a $75,000 bond following a bail reduction hearing April 6.

The defendant was due to return to court on Sept. 21 for a preliminary setting before Judge Miguel Valdovinos in Dept. 22 of Madera County Superior Court.

Law enforcement was called to the home on the evening of July 30 after receiving a report about an unresponsive person.

A source familiar with the scene said the deceased was first found by his own mother who was returning to the property late Thursday night after a brief hospital stay. She was later reportedly placed on a 72-hour safety hold for evaluation and treatment.

The investigation was said to have continued overnight.

A source said authorities later determined the cause of death for Edwards was suicide. No foul play was suspected in Edwards’ death and no other details were released.

The sheriff’s office earlier encouraged anyone with information regarding this case or potential victims to contact Detective Eder Andrade at (559) 517-7997 or MCSO at (559) 675-7770.