Kanab man arrested facing charges of 50 plus counts of felony sexual exploitation of a minor

In the last week of May 2025, the Utah Attorney General’s Office’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force received a notification from Google that a certain Gmail account had potential Child Sexual Abuse Materials (CSAM) stored and distributed on its services. Further investigation into the account, including IP address confirmation and geolocation, matched the account with Tyi McKinlay, 43, of Kanab.

Digital inquiries into the suspect revealed gigabytes’ worth of CSAM on the Gmail account in question, as well as on the suspect’s cell phone. The Utah AG’s office involved local law enforcement, who obtained a search warrant for the suspect’s home – according to the probable cause statement, law enforcement officers who investigated the home found explicit CSAM from online interactions, non-explicit pictures of local underage individuals, a container with female children’s underwear and a sex doll modeling an underage individual.

The suspect is confirmed to be on the state’s sex offender registry, and law enforcement is investigating his parole status. As the investigation is ongoing, law enforcement officials were limited in what information could be shared; Kane County Sheriff Tracy Glover stated on the investigation, “This was a collaborative effort - the Attorney General’s Office has an Internet Crimes Against Children task force which we’re a part of, so this was a joint effort between the Attorney General’s Office ICAC task force, Kane County’s Major Crimes task force and the Kanab City Police Department.”

According to Sheriff Glover, McKinlay is in custody, currently held without bail due to the judge’s concern of potential harm to the community. All charges are currently pending, the current count is a recommendation from law enforcement, awaiting formal filing by the prosecuting attorney.

All charges are currently allegations only. Suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.