FBI Omaha looking for victims of child sex assault at dance studio over span of 11 years

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - Federal investigators are trying to connect with anyone who may have been a victim of sex assault as a child while attending a dance studio in Sarpy County.

FBI Omaha is looking for any victims who attended The Dance Authority, a dance studio located near 180th and Harrison streets, from 2011 to the present.

Anyone with information about this ongoing investigation or who thinks their child may have been victimized by Nicholas Murphy is asked to report it online at fbi.gov/nicholasmurphy; or call the FBI Omaha field office at 402-493-8688.

The outreach comes after news broke that the former co-owner of the dance studio, Nicholas Murphy, a former NFL punter who had most recently been working as a high school football coach in Arizona, was facing federal charges of child sex assault.

The allegations against the 43-year-old are serious: He’s accused of traveling and transporting a female younger than age 18 from Omaha to Tucson, Ariz., with the purpose of engaging in sexual activity with her in October 2021. A conviction on that charge carries prison time ranging from 10 years to life.

“My top priority and main concern is the safety of the dancers and their families when they are in this building,” Darci Bray, owner and director of The Dance Authority told 6 News on Thursday morning. “I want them to know they are 100% safe and confident walking in these doors.”

Agents with the Omaha FBI worry there may be more female victims as he had been the co-owner of the dance studio from 2012 to 2022. The defendant sold the business in the last year and moved to Scottsdale, Ariz., with his family.

“What I have made clear to our families that are here is the Murphy family has not been affiliated with The Dance Authority since the sale of the business — and that was a year-and-a-half ago,” Bray said.

Meanwhile, a federal judge has ordered Murphy to surrender his passport and quit his job as a football coach at an Arizona high school while he awaits trial since he is not to have contact with any minors. Judge Bazis did allow him to continue working in Arizona and to travel to conferences on the West Coast for his job — Murphy told the court that he was a software sales executive and a real estate agent recruiter — as long as he lets pre-trial services know about it.

6 News asked Murphy for a comment on Wednesday, but he declined.

The Sarpy County Sheriff’s Office is assisting in the investigation.

—

Reporter Brian Mastre and Digital Director Gina Dvorak contributed to this story.

Copyright 2023 WOWT. All rights reserved.