A multi-state child exploitation investigation has resulted in the arrest of a Vero Beach mother and the emergency removal of her two young children, according to the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office.
Lisette Zamarripa, 28, was taken into custody on Thursday following an urgent tip from out-of-state law enforcement. Authorities confirm she is currently being held at the Indian River County Jail without bond. Her official court arraignment is scheduled for October 14.
The swift local intervention was initiated when the Michigan State Police contacted Indian River County’s Internet Crimes Against Children detectives regarding an ongoing criminal inquiry. Michigan investigators had intercepted images and videos on the messaging application Kik, which explicitly depicted a woman abusing two young children.
According to the official report, the rapid response yielded the following details:
- Local detectives successfully identified Zamarripa from the digital evidence and immediately deployed to her Vero Beach residence.
- Two biological children, a 1-year-old girl and a 2-year-old boy, were located and safely removed from the home.
- The children were placed into the protective custody of the Florida Department of Children and Families.
- Zamarripa faces severe felony charges, including two counts of sexual battery and transmission of child sexual abuse material.
Law enforcement officials state that Zamarripa was arrested roughly two-and-a-half hours after Indian River County detectives received the initial tip. During questioning, authorities report that she confessed to the abuse and admitted to recording the acts during a live video call. This was allegedly done at the explicit request of her boyfriend, 38-year-old Kenneth Conkle, who was watching the feed remotely from Michigan.
Following Zamarripa’s arrest, the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office in Michigan executed a search warrant at Conkle’s residence. Conkle reportedly admitted to directing and recording the live abuse from Florida. In a disturbing parallel investigation, he also confessed to abusing his own 1-year-old daughter. Conkle is currently incarcerated at the Van Buren County Jail, facing multiple charges in his home state, including child sexual battery, four counts of production of aggravated child sexual abuse material, and five counts of using a computer to commit a crime. The Indian River County Sheriff’s Office noted that additional Florida charges against Conkle are currently pending.
Protecting children is always the top priority of the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office. This kind of abuse is absolutely unacceptable and will never be tolerated in our county. We’re proud of our detectives, who acted quickly to get these children out of a dangerous situation, and grateful to investigators in Michigan for their partnership on this case, even from states away.
The investigation remains active and ongoing. To protect the identities and privacy of the young victims, the names of the children have not been released to the public.
Authorities urge anyone with additional information regarding this specific case to contact the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office. Furthermore, suspected child sexual exploitation should always be reported immediately to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children by calling 1-800-THE-LOST or by submitting a tip through their official portal at report.cybertip.org.
