BLOOMINGTON — A freshman at Indiana University was arrested following an investigation into the distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on social media, according to court documents.
Ryland Reaves, 18, was taken into custody by the Bloomington Police Department (BPD) on February 27. He faces felony charges of child exploitation and possession of child sexual abuse material, categorized as Level 4 and Level 5 felonies, respectively.
The investigation began on January 26 when BPD Detective Jonathan Muscato, an affiliate of the Indiana Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, received a cyber tip. The ICAC is a national network of over 5,000 law enforcement agencies dedicated to prosecuting internet crimes against children.
The tip originated from the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), which reported the activity to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in October 2025. According to the probable cause affidavit, the tip alleged that an account under the username @dong_ry7483 had shared an image file containing two nude photos of a prepubescent girl via direct message.
Detective Muscato obtained search warrants for Google, T-Mobile, and X to trace the account’s activity. Through these warrants, investigators identified an IP address used to log into a Gmail account, which was linked to a phone number belonging to Reaves.
On February 27, BPD executed a search warrant at Reaves’s dorm room in Edmondson Hall, located within the IU Collins Living-Learning Center. During the search and subsequent interview, Reaves reportedly provided a full confession.
The affidavit states that Reaves admitted to possessing the material and sending it to another user on X. He also allegedly informed the detective that he had additional CSAM on his personal phone at that time. Investigators discovered the same images from the initial tip on his device, along with other sexually graphic videos involving toddlers that had been found in his deleted direct messages.
Reaves reportedly told investigators that he acquired the illegal materials through various platforms, including X, the file-hosting service Mega, and the encrypted messaging app Telegram.
Following the interview and search, Reaves was transported to the Monroe County Jail.
This arrest marks the second time in two weeks that an Indiana University student has faced such charges. On February 20, 20-year-old Ashwin Veerappan was also arrested and charged with three felony counts of child exploitation following a separate investigation.
Those facing criminal charges are considered innocent until proven guilty through a fair and due legal process. Accusations alone do not imply guilt; the judicial system will evaluate the presented evidence to reach a verdict.
