COVINGTON, Ky. (WXIX) — A newly obtained search warrant and affidavit reveal that a Covington man who was later found dead in Paris was under investigation for child pornography before he fled the country.
Todd E. Garland, 64, was contacted by Covington Police detectives on June 10 in connection with a criminal investigation, according to a Kenton County affidavit.
Garland was reported missing on June 11. That same day, authorities received information that Garland had fled to Paris, France, according to the affidavit.
The Department of Homeland Security told Covington police that Garland was found dead in Paris on Tuesday.
The Paris Police Prefecture is investigating his death.
The affidavit states that Garland was a deacon at a Covington church. According to the Roebling Books & Coffee’s Facebook page, he was also an employee there.
What the records show
According to the affidavit, the investigation began after the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received multiple CyberTipline reports from xAI, which operates the AI platform Grok. The reports involved the alleged possession, distribution, and manufacturing of child pornography.
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The affidavit states that investigators identified common IP addresses across three separate reports. Subscriber records for those IP addresses traced back to Garland’s Greenup Street address during the time the uploads were reported.
According to the affidavit, a Covington Police Department detective confirmed Garland continued to reside at the Greenup Street address at the time the warrant was sought.
A Kenton County judge signed the search warrant for Garland’s apartment at 525 Greenup Street on June 9, one day before detectives made contact with him.
According to the search warrant, officers seized an iPhone, a laptop and a silver drive from Garland’s apartment during the search.
The affidavit states that Garland was a deacon at a Covington church. According to the Roebling Books & Coffee’s Facebook page, he was also an employee there.
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