On June 1, 1997, in Sacramento County, a woman contacted the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office because her 3-year-old daughter disclosed being sexually assaulted at a gathering of family and friends the previous evening. Patrol Deputies and Child Abuse Bureau Detectives responded and later identified 18-year-old John Caleb Cowper as the suspect in the case. Cowper was interviewed and denied any inappropriate behavior with the girl.

The 3-year-old girl was interviewed by a Forensic Interview Specialist (FIS) at the Sacramento County Multi-Disciplinary Interview Center (MDIC). The girl disclosed additional details during the interview, but the case was ultimately placed into inactive status pending additional corroboration.

On January 10, 2025, Cowper was in custody in the El Dorado County Jail for charges unrelated to this case. While in custody, Cowper told a jail employee he wanted to speak to a Deputy Sheriff about something that happened many years earlier. An El Dorado County Deputy Sheriff responded to the jail, and Cowper made a recorded statement regarding the accusations from 1997.

The El Dorado County Sheriff's Office determined that the incident discussed by Cowper occurred in Sacramento County. The El Dorado Sheriff’s Office contacted the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office, and the SSO Child Abuse Bureau reopened the case.

On July 31, 2025, Child Abuse Bureau Detectives arrested John Caleb Cowper for three counts of California Penal Code Section 288(b)(1) [Lewd and Lascivious Acts with a Child Under 14 by Force/Fear]. His bail was set at $400,000, and he remains in custody at the Sacramento County Jail.

During his adult life, Cowper has been arrested in Sacramento, El Dorado, Solano, and Yolo Counties, and it is unknown where else he may have traveled. Based on information obtained during this investigation, Child Abuse Bureau Detectives strongly suspect that there are unreported victims of child sexual abuse involving Cowper.

If anyone has additional information on John Caleb Cowper that may be relevant to child sexual abuse, they are encouraged to contact the Sacramento Sheriff’s Office Child Abuse Bureau at (916) 874-5191 or childabuse@sacsheriff.com.