Roblox responds to missing New York teen Thomas Medlin — statement draws criticism
Roblox has issued a public statement about 15-year-old Thomas Medlin, who police say went missing in New York on January 9 after leaving school, boarding a train to the Stony Brook Long Island railroad station, and later being seen on surveillance footage at Grand Central Station.
Eva Yan, Thomas’s mother, told News12 that detectives believe the boy met someone while playing Roblox online and subsequently planned to meet that person in the city; she said such behaviour was completely out of character. Yan said family and friends are organising search parties across Long Island and the wider city nearly every day.
Police say Thomas’s last known locations were near Cherry and Rutgers streets in Lower Manhattan and later near Sands and Jay Street in Brooklyn. Authorities have released pictures of the boy and are asking anyone with information to contact the Suffolk County Police Department Fourth Squad at 631-854-8452 or call 911.
In its statement, Roblox said there were “No attempts to direct him to an off-platform communication method,” “No sharing of off-platform contact information, including usernames, phone numbers or other communication methods,” “All chat content was consistent with typical in-game discussions,” and “No indication that he used voice chat.” The company added it will continue to assist law enforcement and said, “we are holding Thomas and his family in our hearts as we hope for his safe return,” and linked to the safety centre section of its website.
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