Man behind ‘anthony_shots’ account charged for child porn; docs don’t tie him to Delphi case

PERU, Ind. (WISH) — A man behind an online profile that has drawn the attention of investigators in the Delphi murders case was arrested for child porn and child exploitation in 2020. However, redacted court documents acquired by News 8 do not tie him to the murders of Abigail Williams and Liberty German.

On Monday night, Indiana State Police issued a release asking for people who may have had contact with a fake profile with the username “anthony_shots” in 2016 or 2017 to contact investigators.

State police said the profile was active on social media platforms in 2016-17 and was using photos of a male model for profile pictures. State police said the man in the pictures is not a suspect in the killings.

On Tuesday morning, News 8’s Demie Johnson received a probable cause affidavit filed in 2020 that links 27-year-old Kegan Anthony Kline, listed in online court records with a Kokomo address, to the “anthony_shots” social media account.

• READ: See the court documents
• Here is why gaining access to social media accounts is tough for police
• Man whose photos were used in fake ‘anthony_shots’ account is ‘heartbroken’

On Aug. 19, 2020, Kline was charged with 30 felonies, including child exploitation, possession of child pornography, obstruction of justice and synthetic identity deception. The documents, which are heavily redacted, do not make any mention of the Delphi case.

According to court documents, ISP first encountered Kline in 2017. State police and the FBI were conducting a search warrant on Feb. 25, 2017 at a Peru address that is redacted in the affidavit when it was discovered that an adult male going by “anthony_shots” online was soliciting underage females on social media. A subpoena sent to Comcast for an IP address led investigators to a residence in Peru. That same day, state police, the FBI and the Peru Police Department executed a search warrant in Peru at an address that is also redacted in court documents. According to investigators, Kline and his father were inside the residence.

Kline allegedly told investigators that he would find girls on Instagram and then have them move the conversation to Snapchat. He said he believed he received pictures from approximately 15 underage girls and received around 100 sexual pictures of girls.

“There were CSAM (child sex abuse material) filed that depicted female children approximately 12 to 17 years of age, posing nude and/or partially nude; and/or performing a sex act on themselves. There were files located which depicted children between the approximate ages of 3 and 11 engaged in a sex act with an adult,” on his iPhone 4, according to court documents.

Investigators also found a discussion of sharing links with child porn files on Dropbox with another party who is not identified in court documents. Investigators also believe Kline used the online handle “emilyann45” on social media platforms.

Several electronic devices were seized during the warrant. Kline did a polygraph test and then was transported back to his residence.

On Feb. 27, 2017, Kline contacted investigators to tell them about a device that was not seized. That device, an Apple iPhone 5c, was obtained by the state police on March 2, 2017. Investigators say a forensics exam found many items had been wiped from the device, including web browsing history. Several social media apps had been uninstalled.

On June 18, 2020, law enforcement officials met with the Miami County prosecutor to discuss the investigation. Kline was charged in Miami County about two months later.

According to online court records, Kline is back in court for a pretrial conference on Dec. 16. Online jail records list him as currently being in custody in Miami County.

News 8 reached out to investigators with the Delphi case to learn more about connection, if any, between the cases.

ISP released this statement:

We do not confirm or deny anyone who is or is not a suspect in any ongoing investigation. At this time, we are looking for any information about the “anthony_shots” profile and anyone who may have had contact with that profile.

Indiana State Police

Abby and Libby were found dead on a trail approximately two weeks before Kline was interviewed by investigators. No arrests have been made for their murders.

Below are images shared by state police.

Timeline of events

• Feb. 13, 2017 – Abby and Libby are dropped off at the Monon High Bridge Trail and are not there when family comes to pick them up.
• Feb. 14, 2017 – The girls’ bodies are found.
• Feb. 15, 2017 – Police release photos of a man wanted for questioning, later considered the main suspect.
• Feb. 22, 2017 – Police release an audio file they say may contain the suspect’s voice saying “down the hill.”
• May 13, 2017 – A celebration of life is held for the girls.
• June 16, 2017 – Police reach 18,000 tips received.
• July 18, 2017 – Police add staff to analyze the high volume of tips.
• Oct. 3, 2017 – Indiana State Police visit Colorado to investigate Daniel Nations after receiving a tip.
• Nov. 11, 2017 – Carroll County Prosecutor Rob Ives announces he’s stepping down.
• Jan. 1, 2018 – New prosecutor Nicholas McLeland takes the post.
• Jan. 16, 2018 – The owner of the property where the girls’ bodies were found is ordered to home detention.
• Jan. 17, 2018 – The families of the girls give interviews with national news outlets in hopes of bringing attention to the case.
• Feb. 13, 2018 – ISP superintendent speaks on murders one year later.
• April 22, 2019 – ISP releases new sketch and video clip.
• April 24, 2019 – ISP clarifies reasons for release of second sketch.
• April 30, 2019 – The sheriff asks to stop post images of possible suspects.
• July 10, 2019 – Libby’s sister addresses rumors during a livestream.
• Jan. 8, 2020 – Delphi gets a new police chief.
• April 5, 2021 – The reward for information in the Delphi murders grows to $325,000.
• Dec. 6, 2021 – Police seek help to identify the creator of a social media account for “anthony_shots.”