Editor’s note: This is Part 2 of a two-part Owensboro Times series examining Daviess County’s registered sex offender population. Part 1 explored the growth of the registry in Daviess County and how the county compares with others across Kentucky. The series is based on publicly available data from the Kentucky State Police Sex Offender Registry, population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau, and interviews with state officials.
As Daviess County’s registered sex offender population continues to grow, Kentucky investigators say many of the cases placing offenders on the registry today look much different from those two decades ago.
While violent offenses such as rape, sodomy, and sexual abuse remain common, investigators increasingly are seeing offenders convicted of technology-related crimes involving online child exploitation, according to Kentucky State Police officials.
“Technological developments have created new avenues for sexual exploitation and offending,” said Trooper Corey King, public affairs officer for Kentucky State Police. “These offenses reflect the evolving nature of sexual crimes in the digital age and highlight the growing role of technology in facilitating criminal behavior against children.”
Research by Owensboro Times found Daviess County’s registered sex offender population has grown from 278 offenders in 2019 to 428 this year, an increase of nearly 47%.
King said the increase isn’t simply the result of more offenders using technology to commit crimes. Advances in digital investigations have also dramatically improved law enforcement’s ability to identify offenders who may have gone undetected years ago.
“We can definitively say technology has played a significant role in both the commission of sex offenses and our ability to detect and prosecute those responsible,” King said.
Historically, placement on Kentucky’s Sex Offender Registry was most commonly associated with convictions for offenses such as rape, sodomy, and sexual abuse.
While those crimes remain prevalent, King said investigators now are seeing an increasing number of offenders placed on the registry for child exploitation-related offenses, including possession or distribution of child sexual abuse material and the unlawful use of electronic means to procure a minor.
Years ago, many investigations began with victim reports, witness statements, or physical evidence. Today, King said many cases begin with digital evidence or cyber tip reports generated through online activity.
Investigators routinely use digital forensic examinations, internet monitoring technology, cyber tips from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, hash-value matching systems, and information sharing among local, state, and federal agencies to identify suspects.
Under federal law, many companies that host digital content are required to report apparent child sexual abuse material to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, resulting in millions of cyber tips each year.
King said that means crimes that may have gone undetected a generation ago are now far more likely to be identified and prosecuted.
The increase is reflected in Kentucky’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
The task force received 2,788 cyber tip reports in 2019. By 2025, that number had climbed to 19,032 — an increase of more than 580%. Through mid-June 2026, the task force had already received 7,673 cyber tip reports.
King said today’s investigations frequently involve online grooming, possession or distribution of child sexual abuse material, communicating with minors through social media or messaging applications, and attempts to persuade or entice children into sexual activity.
Offenders also use gaming platforms, chat applications, and file-sharing services to contact potential victims, he said.
One of the fastest-growing crimes investigators are encountering is sextortion, in which offenders coerce victims into sending intimate images before threatening to release those images unless additional demands are met.
“Advances in technology and the widespread use of social media have allowed offenders to target victims from virtually anywhere,” King said. “These cases often involve manipulation, coercion, and threats, and they can have devastating emotional, financial, and psychological impacts on victims.”
Although the dark web is sometimes associated with child exploitation investigations, King said many cases actually begin on mainstream websites, social media platforms, and apps that families use every day.
Artificial intelligence has also become an increasingly important investigative tool.
King said many electronic service providers now use AI-driven systems to analyze large amounts of digital data, identify indicators of child sexual exploitation, and flag suspicious content for review. Those systems have helped increase the number of cyber tips reported to law enforcement.
Kentucky State Police has also added two Electronic Detection Dogs, or EDD K-9s, to assist investigators.
K-9 Cam and K-9 May are trained to detect the chemical compounds found in electronic devices, allowing them to locate hidden cell phones, computers, flash drives, hard drives, memory cards, and other digital storage devices that suspects may attempt to conceal.
King said those devices often contain critical evidence in child exploitation investigations.
While technology has changed the way offenders commit crimes, it has also created new resources for victims.
King encouraged victims of sextortion or anyone who has shared intimate images online to use “Take It Down,” a free service operated by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.
The program creates a digital fingerprint, known as a hash value, of an image without uploading it. Participating online platforms can then identify and remove matching images, helping prevent further distribution.
King said parents should also recognize that many child exploitation investigations now begin through ordinary online interactions rather than face-to-face encounters.
“The majority of our investigations today begin with digital evidence and cyber tip reports generated through online activity,” King said.
As technology continues to evolve, King said investigators are continually adapting their methods to keep pace with offenders while working to protect children from online exploitation.
