(Connersville, IN) – A Connersville photographer is facing multiple federal child sex crime charges after he allegedly used his business to inappropriately touch and take nude photos of children.
He’s been charged with three counts of Sexual Exploitation of a Child and one count of Possession of Child Pornography.
Investigators classified the case as a “priority one” investigation, indicating 22-year-old Mikell Shepard had access to children and possessed child sex abuse material.
Shepard reportedly admitted to using his photography business and social media platform Telegram to access and photograph nude children for sexual gratification.
According to the criminal complaint, on October 23, 2025, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Indianapolis received a report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). The report included investigative findings submitted by Google, which identified content in Shepard’s account believed to depict sexually explicit images and videos of minor children.
Google reviewed and flagged more than 400 files allegedly showing minors engaged in sexual acts, as well as over 1,000 files depicting the lascivious exhibition of the genitals of minors.
On October 24, 2025, law enforcement executed a state search warrant at Shepard’s residence. Investigators discovered sexually explicit images and videos of minors allegedly produced by Shepard in both professional and personal settings, including while babysitting. These images reportedly include both female and male children, as young as 9 months old. The images and videos date from as recently as October 2025, with some files from the summer of 2024.
Publicly available information lists Shepard as the owner of “Shepard Photography” and “Boudoir by Shepard.” His Facebook account advertises him as a professional photographer who “works well with families, children, and infants.”
He is currently in federal custody.
Investigators believe there may be more victims.
If you believe a child may have been victimized by Mikell Shepard, please contact Fayette County/Connersville Police non-emergency dispatch at (765) 825-2111.
