Castle Rock, Colorado — A man charged in Canada with sexually assaulting a foster child was approved as a foster parent in Douglas County and assigned two boys, and he now faces 15 felony counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, The Gazette reported Sept. 13. Michigan agencies had rejected him after learning of the Canadian charge.
Charges in two Colorado counties
Brian J. Zielke, 38, of Aurora, has been held in the Adams County jail since July 23, according to The Gazette. Besides the exploitation counts, he faces two felony counts of attempting to influence a public servant. His bond is set at $250,000 in Adams County, with a separate $60,000 cash surety bond tied to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office.
An Aurora police affidavit dated July 22 says investigators traced flagged images to his address and found about 2,000 images of young boys on his Google account, 60 of which police identified as likely child sexual abuse material. Emails referenced foster children who had stayed at his home, the affidavit says. The charges are allegations, and Zielke has not been convicted.
A record Colorado’s screening missed
Zielke and his wife became foster parents in Canada in 2023, according to The Gazette. In 2024 a boy in their care reported being sexually assaulted, and Canadian authorities charged Zielke. He then moved to Michigan and reportedly faked his own death; a hospital death certificate was sent to Canadian police. When he later crossed back into Canada he was arrested, then expelled because he is a U.S. citizen.
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He applied to foster through two Michigan agencies. Both rejected him after contacting Canada and learning of the charge. In Castle Rock, he was approved. Douglas County later charged the couple with attempting to influence a public servant after authorities found they lied on their foster application paperwork. The affidavit does not explain how Colorado’s checks missed the Canadian case.
The removal came only after outside warnings. Canadian child protection officials contacted Douglas County about Zielke’s charges, and his wife had asked police for a welfare check in March. Colorado then removed the two foster boys and a relative’s child from the home.
A boy sent out of county, then into the home
One of the boys was removed from his mother by El Paso County’s Department of Human Services in July 2025, when he was 10, after she was evicted and living in her truck, The Gazette reported. With no local placement available, he was sent to the Castle Rock home on July 23, 2025, then moved about six weeks later in what was described as an “emergency situation.” He has since lived in several homes across the region. His mother reported the abuse he described to the state hotline after speaking with his guardian ad litem.
Living in poverty is not a reason to take anyone’s kid.
The boy’s mother, to The Gazette
El Paso County officials said homelessness alone is not grounds for removal. Colorado’s Division of Child Welfare said state law bars it from discussing specific cases and declined to release statistics on sexual abuse in foster care, citing privacy.
Why it matters
A child taken from his mother over housing was handed to a stranger that two other agencies had already turned away. Child welfare agencies demand near-perfect compliance from parents, yet the checks they apply to their own placements failed here, and the public learned of it through a police affidavit rather than the agency. FAN’s guide to parents’ rights in CPS cases covers what parents can demand to know about where their children are placed.
Key facts
- Brian J. Zielke, 38, faces 15 felony counts of sexual exploitation of a minor and two counts of attempting to influence a public servant.
- He was charged in Canada in 2024 with sexually assaulting a boy in his foster care.
- Two Michigan agencies rejected his foster application after learning of the Canadian charge.
- He was approved as a foster parent in Castle Rock, Douglas County, and assigned two boys.
- Authorities later found the couple lied on their foster application, The Gazette reported.
- One boy was placed there after El Paso County removed him from his mother, who was living in her truck.
- Zielke has been jailed in Adams County since July 23 and has not been convicted.
Sources
- Colorado Politics / The Gazette — Wanted in Canada, alleged child sex offender eludes Colorado safety net to become foster parent (2026-09-13)
- Colorado Springs Gazette — Wanted in Canada, alleged child sex offender eludes Colorado safety net to become foster parent (2026-09-13)
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