Mikell Shepard, a 22-year-old photographer from Connersville, Indiana, has been charged with three counts of sexual exploitation of a child and one count of possession of child pornography. According to federal authorities, the investigation began after Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Indianapolis received a report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) on October 23, 2025. The report included findings submitted by Google, which identified content in Shepard’s account believed to show sexually explicit images and videos involving minors.
Google flagged more than 400 files allegedly depicting minors engaged in sexual acts and over 1,000 files showing lascivious exhibition of minors’ genitals. On October 24, law enforcement executed a state search warrant at Shepard’s residence. Investigators reportedly found sexually explicit images and videos of minors produced by Shepard in both professional and personal settings, including while babysitting children as young as nine months old. The materials dated from as recently as October 2025 and some were from summer 2024.
Public records list Shepard as the owner of “Shepard Photography” and “Boudoir by Shepard.” His Facebook profile describes him as a professional photographer who “works well with families, children, and infants.” Authorities stated that he has babysat several children and photographed children at various locations in or near Connersville such as a daycare center, skating rink, and gymnastics center. Investigators believe there may be additional victims.
Law enforcement urges anyone who believes their child may have been victimized by Mikell Shepard to contact Fayette County/Connersville Police non-emergency dispatch at (765) 825-2111.
A Writ of Habeas Corpus Ad Prosequendum was filed on October 28 to transfer Shepard from Fayette County Jail to federal custody for further proceedings.
The case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations along with Indiana State Police, the Indiana Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and Connersville Police Department. U.S. Attorney Wheeler thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany J. Preston for prosecuting the case.
The charges are part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to address child sexual exploitation through coordinated efforts among federal, state, and local agencies aimed at apprehending offenders using the internet to exploit children.
“A complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.”
