A California man has been arrested after police say he kidnapped a 10-year-old girl he met through the social media apps Roblox and Discord.
Matthew Macatuno Naval, 27, was arrested Sunday in Sacramento County, California, according to the Kern County Sheriff’s Office. His arrest comes after police responded to a family in Taft, California, calling about a missing 10-year-old girl.
As investigators launched a search for the girl, they discovered she was chatting with Naval online, “leading to [her] abduction.” The two spoke via Roblox, an online video game popular with children, and Discord, an online messaging service, police said.
A day later, Elk Grove police found Naval and the 10-year-old in his car at a nearby strip mall.
Naval was arrested on suspicion of kidnapping and unlawful sexual conduct with a child, the Kern County Sheriff’s Office said. Police booked him into the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office Jail before transferring him to the Kern County jail.
Naval is now being held on a $250,000 bond. His first hearing is scheduled for Friday at 3 p.m. local time.
The Independent was unable to identify whether Naval has retained an attorney. The Independent has contacted the Kern County District Attorney for comment.
The Kern County Sheriff’s Office is now warning parents about the importance of online safety.
“Parents, monitor all electronic usage and know who your children are communicating with,” the office wrote. “Many apps and games have messaging capabilities and present the same, if not more, risk as social media platforms.”
This comes after Roblox announced new safety tools earlier this month. These tools will allow parents to block people from their child’s friend list and block individual experiences on the website.
Roblox made a similar move last year, implementing a default setting that ensures kids under 13 can’t chat to others outside of games or direct message other players without parental permission.
Discord has also contended with online safety concerns, with its CEO even appearing to testify before a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on online child sexual exploitation last year.
The messaging platform touts various programs designed to keep kids safe, including a teen safety feature that can provide users with safety alerts and sensitive content filters.
A Discord spokesperson tells The Independent the platform “has a zero-tolerance policy against abuse and exploitation “ and supported police with their investigation.
“We take decisive actions when we detect violations of our policies, including removing content, banning users, shutting down servers, and engaging with law enforcement,” the spokesperson said. “As soon as we became aware of this matter, we provided information to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). We will continue supporting law enforcement in its investigation.”
The Independent has contacted Roblox for comment.
