A Special Agent from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) disclosed that an undercover operation conducted on the messaging platform Kik resulted in the arrest of a woman from Roseville for allegedly sharing AI-generated explicit images of a 14-year-old girl.
Deborah Louise Coatney, aged 43, reportedly acknowledged her wrongdoing to federal agents, stating, “I know it’s wrong.” Following the investigation, she faced charges of Attempted Distribution of Child Pornography as well as Attempted Receipt and Possession of Child Pornography, as outlined in a federal complaint submitted on July 17.
The investigation involved an undercover agent who was active on Kik, posing as the father of an eight-year-old girl while investigating potential child exploitation. The agent joined groups that appeared to center around discussions of child sexual abuse. On July 6, the agent became part of a Kik group dedicated to open marriages and the sharing of intimate images. The group's profile featured a topless adult woman alongside another topless female whose age was not specified.
That same day, the undercover agent witnessed a user named ‘Debdeb’ sharing various images, including those of adult women and what resembled teenage girls. Disturbingly, it wasn't long before ‘Debdeb’ posted an image of a minor believed to be the identifiable child victim, with enough detail visible for later comparison. Subsequently, ‘Debdeb’ shared an image of the same child in a cheerleading uniform, which provided further identifying details linking the agent to the Detroit metropolitan area.
On July 7, the undercover agent again observed ‘Debdeb’ sharing explicit images and videos, including another nude shot of the minor. The agent reached out directly to ‘Debdeb,’ resulting in an exchange where 'Debdeb' revealed the child's age as “14” and was asked how she was able to generate such content with AI.
As the investigation progressed, HSI obtained subscriber data from Kik, including an email address, username, and IP address associated with ‘Debdeb.’ The IP address was traced back to a Wide Open West internet account linked to an address in Roseville, where Coatney resided.
On July 13 and 14, the undercover agent made further contact with ‘Debdeb’ through a different Kik account, where she self-identified as “43f Mich” and sent a selfie. The undercover agent queried whether the child was aware of the images, to which ‘Debdeb’ responded that the child did not know. Moreover, she mentioned that the images were "actually AI” and advised the agent not to disclose the information.
During the conversation, ‘Debdeb’ disclosed how another Kik user had discovered her Facebook page and developed an obsession with the minor. She conveyed her initial shock upon receiving the child's image but later claimed to have liked it. When questioned about whether she had taken “real stuff” of the minor, she consistently replied, “Just AI.”
The investigation then revealed another user in the Kik group posting nude images of the same child. ‘Debdeb’ allegedly made provocative remarks within the group chat that suggested the child was being exploited.
Through the investigation, agents examined a social media account linked to “Debbie Coatney,” which listed her location as Roseville. They found content aligning with the explicit images and noted that Coatney's Michigan driver's license photo matched the selfie she previously sent.
On July 16, 2026, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Coatney's residence, where she consented to an interview. During questioning, she recognized her phone, provided access credentials, and acknowledged her Kik account associated with ‘Debdeb.’ In her explanation, Coatney described the group as one that shared “naughty” photos, including images of young children.
Coatney ultimately admitted to having shared AI-altered images of the child, specifying, “photos of her, AI-ed,” and identified another Kik user involved. She claimed that the user was responsible for the AI generation and insisted that she had not participated in the actual image creation. She recognized the gravity of her actions, repeatedly labeling them as “gross” and “wrong,” and ultimately categorized her behavior as that of a "pedophile."
In a follow-up interaction, she conceded to disseminating the explicit content and expressed remorse, saying, “I know what I did was absolutely wrong.” Coatney acknowledged sharing images in two separate groups, estimating a membership of around “100 people” each, indicating her motivations were to gain approval from another user.
Following this, authorities found a cellphone belonging to Coatney that featured the Kik app logged in as ‘Debdeb.’ She was arrested and subsequently appeared in federal court in Detroit on July 17, where she was granted a personal bond of $10,000.
