A teenage boy has been lacking for 2 weeks after allegedly speeding from his Lengthy Island, New York prep faculty into Manhattan to satisfy somebody he met on Roblox, in line with a press release from the boy’s household.
Thomas Medlin left the Stony Brook Faculty on Friday, January 9, at round 3:30 PM ET to reportedly catch a prepare from the Lengthy Island Rail Highway station to Grand Central, the place surveillance footage noticed him at about 5:30 PM ET. In an interview with Long Island news outlet News 12, his mom, Eva Yan, stated that is uncharacteristic of her son, who excels in class.
“He has by no means left us,” Yan stated. “Everybody loves him. With the climate coming [in] chilly, you realize, now we have checked the homeless shelter, searching for the areas.”
The Suffolk County Police Division (SCPD) shared a press release on January 12 relating to Medlin’s final recognized whereabouts. Based on the SCPD, Medlin is a white, 5′ 4″ teen who weighs 130 kilos and was final seen sporting a black jacket with crimson stripes, darkish sweatpants with white stripes, a black backpack, and glasses. Detectives investigating this case instructed his household that they consider Medlin had rushed off into Manhattan to satisfy somebody he allegedly met on Roblox. Based on Information 12, the detectives reportedly positioned Medlin’s cellphone in decrease Manhattan and noticed him on surveillance video someplace in Brooklyn, New York.
Roblox has responded to the incident, with a spokesperson telling People that the corporate is “deeply troubled” by the scenario and dealing with legislation enforcement to help the continuing investigation.
“Roblox is constructed with security at its core, together with sturdy insurance policies to assist defend customers that transcend many different platforms,” the spokesperson stated. “We’ve got filters designed to dam the sharing of non-public info and don’t permit user-to-user picture or video sharing. Whereas no system is ideal, our dedication to security by no means ends, and we proceed to evolve and strengthen our protections day by day. Given this includes an ongoing investigation, we can not remark additional right now.”
The corporate posted a longer statement on X on January 25, saying that it “adopted our normal course of and instantly started an investigation [and] looked for any earlier legislation enforcement inquiries.” After a radical evaluate of the incident, the corporate revealed the next details about Medlin’s case:
- No makes an attempt to direct him to an off-platform communication methodology
- No sharing of off-platform contact info, together with usernames, cellphone numbers or different communication strategies
- All chat content material was in step with typical in-game discussions
- No indication that he used voice chat
“We’re holding Thomas and his household in our hearts as we hope for his secure return,” the corporate stated. “We are going to proceed to offer our full help to legislation enforcement all through their investigation. We’re dedicated to security.”
Medlin’s father, James Medlin, instructed Information 12 that he’s involved and shocked by his son’s habits.
“I simply can’t consider why he left within the first place,” he instructed Information 12.
In the meantime, his mom, Yan, is considering his security.
“We simply need him to be secure,” she instructed Information 12.
SCPD is asking that anybody with info relating to Medlin’s whereabouts contact the Fourth Squad Detectives at 631-854-8452 or name 911.
Roblox has been in sizzling water up to now yr, notably relating to its dealing with of kid security. After studies uncovered youngster predation on the platform, the corporate has sought to implement security measures–like age-verification options and face-scanning technology–to defend the principally underage kids that the sport. Regardless of these efforts, the corporate has seen a slew of lawsuits from states like Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, and Texas who say developer Roblox Company is not doing sufficient to guard the youngsters that populate the platform. Co-founder and CEO David Baszucki responded to the considerations, however his solutions did not go over effectively.