A 46-year-old Carlton man is being held pending trial after federal investigators say a cellphone conversation uncovered during an unrelated search led them straight to his door, and to a stash of child sexual abuse material. Jeremy Scott Styles now faces a federal charge of receiving and possessing child sexually abusive material following a criminal complaint filed by an FBI Detroit agent.
The complaint, unsealed on September 25, according to ClickOnDetroit, traces back to an FBI search of another man's home in July, conducted as part of a separate investigation into the distribution and receipt of child sexually abusive material. During that search, investigators said they found a conversation on the man's cellphone with someone identified only as “Jeremy.” Agents later matched the phone number to Styles, according to the complaint.
Text messages contained in the complaint allegedly show the other man sending Styles several sexually abusive videos beginning July 4. One video that day depicted a boy described as approximately 14 to 16 years old, per the complaint. Styles responded by saying he wanted more, according to the document.
Videos, Photos and a Chilling Nickname
The exchanges escalated the following day. On July 5, the other man allegedly sent a video depicting two boys, one approximately 7 years old and the other approximately 14, and in the same exchange the other man referred to Styles as “my pedo” in a text message, according to the complaint. That same day, Styles allegedly sent a nude photo appearing to show himself.
An FBI special agent said Styles was repeatedly asked in the messages whether he wanted to see young boys engaged in sexual activity, and that he responded he would like to see it. The FBI also said Styles referenced having sex with a child during the chats and, at one point, allegedly told the other man he was going to go sexually abuse a child.
From a Phone Number to a Stout Road Address
Investigators linked the phone number found during the July search to Styles and traced him to a home on Stout Road in Carleton, Michigan, according to the complaint. A social media post reviewed by investigators reportedly showed Styles at a home in Carleton as well. Styles lives in Carlton, in northern Monroe County.
An arrest warrant for Styles was issued on September 24. A detention hearing followed on September 29, after which he was temporarily jailed pending trial. He is scheduled for a preliminary examination on October 16 at 1 p.m. in Detroit.
A Surge in Reports Nationwide
Cases like this one are unfolding against a backdrop of sharply rising numbers nationally. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children reported that CyberTipline reports concerning online enticement jumped 158% in 2025 compared with the year before, with 1.4 million such reports received, according to NCMEC. The organization also reported a 323% increase in child sex trafficking reports over the same period, and said 2025 reports included 61.8 million images, videos and other files tied to reported exploitation incidents.
NCMEC said it identified and escalated more than 53,000 urgent or imminent-danger reports to law enforcement in 2025, and that more than 400,000 reports that year involved a generative artificial intelligence nexus. Separately, the federal Internet Crimes Against Children task force program reported conducting nearly 347,000 investigations and making more than 17,000 arrests in 2025, according to a program summary from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
The FBI's Violent Crimes Against Children program takes reports of child sexual exploitation through an online form, while NCMEC also operates a 24-hour hotline, according to the FBI. For now, the case against Styles remains in its early stages, with his next court date set for mid-October in Detroit.
