Syed Ayan Tirmizi, 22, McCordsville
HANCOCK COUNTY — Officials with the McCordsville Police Department say a man living in McCordsville was in possession of multiple child pornography images and videos discovered after an investigation started several years ago in a different state.
Syed Ayan Tirmizi, 22, McCordsville, is facing 13 felony child endangerment charges including one Level 5 felony count of possession of child pornography with an aggravating factor. The charges also include 11 different Level 6 felony charges of possession of child pornography and one count of performance before a minor that is harmful to minors, also a Level 6 felony, stemming from incidents starting in July of 2021 lasting through March of 2023.
Tirmizi was officially arrested Tuesday and was set to have an initial appearance in Hancock County Circuit Court Thursday, Feb. 29.
According to a probable cause affidavit, law enforcement officials in Florida started investigating Tirmizi as far back as May of 2022. That’s when Clay County Sheriff’s Office in Florida went to investigate a domestic disturbance between a 15-year-old girl and her parents.
The juvenile female, officials noted in the report, had been communicating with Tirmizi through multiple online applications. Officials stated the juvenile had been exchanging obscene pornographic photographs with Tirmizi. The juvenile, officials said in the report, told Tirmizi she was 14-years-old and he acknowledged it, the affidavit said.
According to the affidavit, officials with the McCordsville Police Department went to interview Tirmizi on June 27, 2022, and local officials obtained a search warrant for his cell phone at that time. While Tirmizi was at first cooperative with officials and willing to talk, when law enforcement showed him photos he had sent the girl in Florida, he ended the interview, officials said in the affidavit.
In March of 2023, local officials conducted a follow-up interview at a residence in the 8600 block of North Crestview Trail, the affidavit said. A woman living there told officials after she looked at some of the photos sent to the girl, that it looked as if the photos were taken from the home there. Tirmizi’s phone was then taken to the Madison County High Tech Crimes Unit to be download in March of 2023, the affidavit said.
The download was completed in October of 2023, officials said in the report. Officials with the McCordsville Police Department noted in the report there were multiple pornographic photos and videos of minors with adults as well as other distributing pornographic material on Tirmizi’s phone.
