Police, FBI track down online child sex predators, man sentenced to 28 years in prison

KALAMAZOO, Mich. — According to the Center for Child Safety and Prevention, there are approximately 500,000 sexual predators online at any given time.

It's a monumental task for law enforcement, but they're taking it one day at a time.

With the help of local and federal agencies, a man extradited from Spain last year has been formally convicted of sexual exploitation and abuse of a child in Michigan.

Kristian Feliz, 24, of Connecticut, was sentenced to 28 years in prison.

In October 2022, Feliz, a graduate student in Barcelona, ​​formed a relationship with a 12-year-old girl from Kalamazoo.

Authorities say Feliz began pursuing the girl online. The convicted sexual predator repeatedly pressured the girl to send him pornographic videos, police say.

In 2023, Feliz went to her home and filmed himself abusing the child for three days, according to police.

“It's alarming that there are human beings who could take advantage of a child in this way, and it's something that remains in the back of our minds,” said Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety Detective Ryan Shank. .

Local agencies work countless hours tracking down sexual predators online, which Shank said is no simple task.

“It started when a parent noticed something wrong and suspicious activity on a phone,” Shank said.

KDPS computer analysts scoured social media accounts for identifiers, an all-hands-on-deck effort that included the FBI.

“It's really important that when something goes beyond what's happening here in the city, that we have partnerships where someone can come and take it and run with it, because we want to do all that that we can to make sure we are doing what is right by child victims,” Shank said.

Feliz was located in Spain in the summer of 2023. In November, Feliz was brought back to Michigan to face federal charges before his sentencing to 28 years in prison this week.

“We're going to continue to find these guys and make sure they're held accountable,” Shank said.

KDPS has two computer crime analysts to help track down these criminals, but with the growing number of online sexual predators, they are looking to recruit more.

Shank said the best way to protect your child is to pay attention to the warning signs.

The detective recommends monitoring your child's phone, computer and social media pages.

Shank says it's important to pay close attention to conversations children have with others that could be harmful.