KSHB 41 News reporter Lauren Schwentker covers stories in Platte and Clay counties. Have a story idea? Send her an email.
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The Clay County Sheriff's Office has launched a new Special Victims Unit dedicated to catching predators and investigating sex-related crimes as internet crimes against children continue to rise in the area.
Sgt. Jeremy Fahrmeier supervises the unit, which he leads alongside one detective.
"These cases are coming in, and we just feel the need that they need to be investigated properly," Fahrmeier said.
Sex crime reports in Clay County more than doubled from 21 in 2024 to 44 in 2025. Internet crimes against children saw an even sharper increase, jumping from two reported cases in 2024 to 16 in 2025.
Fahrmeier said the most common way people in the area are being targeted is through social media apps and online gaming chat rooms.
"The most common way that we are seeing is through social media apps, whether that's apps like WhatsApp, Discord, Snapchat, Roblox, things like that," Fahrmeier said.
He said predators work to build relationships with their targets before exploiting them.
"They create that bond, that trusting friendship, and then all of a sudden they're trying to entice them, or they're convincing them to send them pictures, and then it turns into blackmail," Fahrmeier said.
Fahrmeier offered advice for parents looking to protect their children online.
"Know what those passwords are, who your kids are talking to, and do regular inspections of those social media apps and chat rooms," Fahrmeier said.
Tiffani Clark, vice president of the Children's Advocacy Center in Gladstone, said her organization plans to work with the new unit.
"With the new development of their unit, I'm really looking forward to partnering a little bit more closely on some of the cases they might see," Clark said.
Clark said making children feel comfortable coming forward is central to the work.
"We want kids to feel safe talking about things that have happened to them, so that we can then ultimately protect them and allow an opportunity to heal," Clark said.
She noted that online dangers can affect any family.
"It can happen to anyone," Clark said.
In its first month, the unit executed three search warrants and charged two individuals.
"We're making a priority to target those that are preying on our children, our society," Fahrmeier said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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