A California man has been arrested for abducting a 10-year-old child he reportedly met on social media apps Roblox and Discord, authorities said last 16 April.
Matthew Macatuno Naval, 27, was arrested Sunday for kidnapping and unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, the Kern County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
Kern County deputies began on 13 April searching for the child, who is a young girl from Taft, California, according to CNN affiliate KOVR, after her family reported her missing, police said.
Following information indicating the possibility that the missing minor was kidnapped, detectives said they uncovered the juvenile had been communicating with Naval via social media, and they were believed to be in the area of Elk Grove, California – more than 250 miles away.
Kern County police notified authorities in Elk Grove, who found the child on 13 April, the release said.
Naval was arrested and booked in Sacramento County and later transferred to Kern County, where he is being held with bail set at US$ 250,000, according to the Kern County Sheriff’s Office. He has a court hearing set 18 April.
The sheriff’s office warned of the "importance of internet safety" in the news release, referring to the communications Naval allegedly had with the minor on Roblox and Discord before the abduction. Roblox is an online gaming platform popular with tweens, and Discord is an instant messaging app.
"Parents, monitor all electronic usage and know who your children are communicating with. Many apps and games have messaging capabilities and present the same, if not more, risk as social media platforms," the sheriff’s office cautioned in the statement.
Both Roblox and Discord told CNN that they have a zero-tolerance policy against child endangerment and exploitation.
"These allegations are deeply troubling and we are actively investigating," a Roblox spokesperson told CNN in a statement, adding that the platform has a range of safety features to guard against predatory behavior.
A Discord spokesperson said they remove content, ban users and engage with law enforcement if they find the platform’s policies have been violated. "As soon as we became aware of this matter, we provided information to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC)," the spokesperson added.
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