VALPARAISO, Ind. — A 20-year-old Valparaiso man, Kaiden Aurenz, is facing serious felony charges after Indiana State Police say he used the Kik messaging app to share child sexual abuse material online.
Authorities launched an investigation after receiving multiple tips indicating that someone was distributing explicit images of minors via social media. Through digital forensic efforts, investigators tracked the activity to Kik and identified Aurenz as the suspect behind the uploads.
Detectives located Aurenz in Valparaiso, where he was already in custody on an unrelated matter. On Wednesday, the Porter County Prosecutor’s Office formally filed Level 4 and Level 5 felony charges for child exploitation against him.
Aurenz remains held at the Porter County Sheriff’s Department as both investigations continue. Indiana State Police emphasized their commitment to aggressively investigating child exploitation cases and encouraged the public to report suspected abuse through their local law enforcement agency or the Indiana ICAC Task Force.
This case highlights the ongoing efforts of law enforcement to monitor digital platforms and pursue those who engage in child exploitation online.
