Kanab sex offender charged with 50 felonies for sexual exploitation of a minor

KANAB, Utah (ABC4) — A registered sex offender in Kanab has been arrested after a cyber tip revealed he possessed Child Sexual Assault Material (CSAM). Law enforcement says that he poses a risk to minors in the community due to what was found at his home.

Tyi Kay McKinlay, 43, has been charged with 50 felony counts of sexual exploitation of a minor and one misdemeanor count of possession of a child sex doll. He was previously convicted of sexual abuse of a child in 2004 and was placed on the sex offender registry.

According to documents, on May 1, an officer with the Kane County Sheriff’s Office received a case assignment from the Utah Attorney General’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force. A CyberTipline report from Google reported that more than 100 files of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) were associated with a Gmail account.

On May 12, the officer received another case assignment, this time with 1,668 files of CSAM associated with the Gmail account. The name on the account was McKinlay’s, and the date of birth matched his. An IP geolocation also matched McKinlay. The officer confirmed that at least 50 files of CSAM were on McKinlay’s cell phone.

On May 28, a search warrant for McKinlay’s vehicle, person, and house in Kanab revealed he had several disturbing possessions. According to the officer, McKinlay had photos of local, underage females and a jar containing a female child’s underwear. He was also in possession of a doll depicting an underage female child.

McKinlay was booked into the Kane County Jail and is currently being held without bail due to the risk officers believe he poses to the community.