Content warning: This article describes child sexual abuse. Please take care while reading.
A Shallotte, NC, married mom of two was arrested on Valentine’s Day this year and charged with 80 counts of child sex abuse involving at least four boys, possibly more. All of the victims were under the age of 15 when the abuse happened, according to the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office.
As Wilmington NC’s WWAY reports, Sara Jean Sellers, 44, is accused of abusing the victims between 2018 and 2021, and at least two of the boys were 12 years old when the alleged abuse occurred. Police were interviewing two other boys when Sellers was arrested amid the ongoing investigation, though it’s unclear how they’re involved in the case. Authorities have confirmed there were multiple victims. The total number of children affected has not so far been specified.
Sellers allegedly involved her daughter in the abuse
Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office Announces Arrest of Sara Jean Sellers on Multiple Child Sexual Offense https://t.co/6uzniL462R pic.twitter.com/TTbAWi0PbB
— Brunswick Sheriff (@Brunscosheriff) February 14, 2025
Meanwhile, according to Wilmington news outlet WECT, Sellers is accused of participating in the sexual abuse of the boys, and in at least one instance, she allegedly involved her daughter. The ages of Sellers’ children have also not yet been revealed in the press. WWAY reports she’s been married for 22 years. Her husband’s identity has also not been reported.
Sellers’ charges aren’t the only alarming child sex abuse case to emerge from North Carolina in recent weeks. In November last year, 26-year-old Skyler Bell was arrested and accused of first-degree statutory sexual offense and first-degree sexual exploitation of a minor, involving a 4-year-old child, both of which reportedly happened the same day she was taken into custody, according to Raleigh’s CBS 17.
Meanwhile, just two days after Sellers’ arrest, authorities announced several more child sex abuse charges against Sellers, stemming from two incidents stemming from two incidents that reportedly happened in August 2024, according to Greensboro’s FOX 8.
As for Sellers, she now faces 20 counts of statutory sex offense with a child younger than 15 years old; 10 counts of statutory sex offense with a child by an adult; 20 counts of statutory rape of a child less than 15; 10 counts of statutory rape of a child by an adult; and 20 counts of indecent liberties with a child. She is held at the Brunswick County Detention Center on a $2 million secured bond. Brunswick authorities have asked anyone with additional information about other potential victims of Sellers’ abuse to call Detective Shepherd at (910) 363-6976.
If you know someone suffering from sexual violence, contact RAINN or the National Sexual Abuse Telephone Hotline at 1-800-656-4673.
