Hillsboro, Ore. — A man who police say fostered children in the Hillsboro area for many years has been arrested on 11 counts of first-degree sexual abuse, and investigators believe there may be more victims who have not come forward. Felimon Zaragoza-Herrera, 61, was arrested Sept. 3, the Hillsboro Police Department said, according to KPTV and KATU. The charges are accusations, and he is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Police are now asking anyone who lived in his home as a foster child, or who knows someone who did, to contact detectives. The request alone tells parents and advocates what investigators fear: that the alleged abuse may not have ended with the survivors who first came forward.
Washington County grand jury indictment
The charges stem from a secret indictment approved by a Washington County grand jury, according to Hoodline, which cited KGW’s reporting on court filings. Hoodline, citing KGW, reported that the case involves three girls, each under 14 at the time of the alleged abuse, between 2013 and 2019. Published reports reviewed by FAN do not say whether all three girls were in foster care at the time, and FAN is not identifying any alleged victim.
First-degree sexual abuse is a Class B felony under Oregon law, and it carries a 75-month mandatory minimum under Measure 11, Hoodline reported. None of the coverage FAN reviewed reported a trial date.
Hillsboro police thanked those who came forward.
We want to thank the survivors for their bravery in bringing these crimes to the attention of law enforcement.
Hillsboro Police Department, via KATU
How long was he a foster parent in Oregon?
That is the question no agency has publicly answered. KPTV reported that Zaragoza-Herrera was “a foster parent for many years in the Hillsboro area, according to investigators.” None of the coverage FAN reviewed named the agency that certified his home, said how many children were placed with him, or reported any statement from the Oregon Department of Human Services, which oversees the state’s foster care system.
That silence matters. A foster license is the state’s promise that a home has been checked, watched and found safe. When police have to put out a public call for former foster children to come forward, years after the alleged abuse began, it raises hard questions about what home visits, caseworker contacts and complaint reviews were happening during the years children lived there, and whether anyone listened when a child spoke up.
What families and former foster youth can do
Police are asking anyone with information to call the Hillsboro Police Department at 503-629-0111 and reference case No. 26-16789, according to KPTV and KATU.
Former foster youth who lived in the home, and biological parents whose children were placed there, have a right to know what happened while their children were in the state’s care. Parents who lost custody to a system that claimed their homes were unsafe deserve the same scrutiny of the homes the state chose instead.
FAN has long argued that the foster care system is held to a far lower standard than the families it investigates. Biological parents can lose their children over a messy kitchen or a missed appointment. Yet a foster home can stay open for years with little public accountability. When abuse is alleged inside a state-approved home, the agency that approved it should be the first to explain itself, not the last.
FAN will continue to follow the Washington County case and any disclosure from Oregon child welfare officials about how this home was licensed and monitored.
Key facts
- Accused: Felimon Zaragoza-Herrera, 61, former foster parent in the Hillsboro area
- Arrest: Sept. 3, 2026, by the Hillsboro Police Department
- Charges: 11 counts of first-degree sexual abuse via secret Washington County grand jury indictment
- Alleged victims: Three girls under 14 at the time, 2013 to 2019 (per KGW reporting cited by Hoodline)
- More victims feared: Police ask former foster children in the home to come forward
- Tip line: 503-629-0111, case No. 26-16789
Sources
- KPTV FOX 12 — Former Hillsboro foster parent arrested on sex abuse charges; additional victims sought (2026-09-10)
- KATU — Police: Former foster parent in Hillsboro accused of sexual abuse, could be more victims (2026-09-10)
- Hoodline — Hillsboro foster dad, 61, faces 11 sex abuse counts; police fear more victims (2026-09-11)
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