ICE asks for former Sacramento-area daycare worker accused of sexually assaulting child to remain in custody
SACRAMENTO, Calif. —
Federal officials on Friday are drawing attention to the case of a Sacramento County man accused of sexually assaulting a child while he was a daycare worker.
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A news release from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement filed a detainer request asking for Gokhan Bagci, a Turkish national, to remain in custody. A detainer request is a call to keep a person in custody and for officials to cooperate with ICE before the person is released.
The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office said in 2025 that Bagci was working at the Mather Childcare Center, which primarily serves members of the Turkish community. Deputies began investigating after a mother reported that she believed her daughter had been sexually abused.
While interviewing the child, the sheriff’s office said investigators came to believe other children might have been sexually abused. Detectives then arrested Bagci on Aug. 22, 2025, on charges of lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14 by force of fear.
DHS said the child’s mother reported that Bagci “lured the girl into a closet pretending to play hide-and-seek, where he sexually assaulted her.”
“He then allegedly brought the girl into a bathroom and raped her that same day,” DHS said.
Bagci had been removed from the country by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection in November 2023 and again in September 2024, the sheriff’s office previously stated.
Jail records show his next court appearance is set for 8:30 a.m. on July 31.
KCRA 3 reached out to the sheriff’s office for comment. We have not yet heard back from the agency.
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