LI teen missing after NYC trip to meet online gaming contactNearly three weeks after a Long Island teenager vanished after traveling into Manhattan, police and his family say they believe the 15-year-old left home to meet someone he connected with through an online gaming platform.
Thomas Medlin, 15, of Saint James, was last seen on Friday, Jan. 9, after leaving the Stony Brook School and heading into New York City, as Daily Voice reported.
Medlin left the school around 3:30 p.m. and ran to the Stony Brook Train Station, according to Suffolk County Police. He was later seen at about 5:30 p.m. at Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan.
Investigators have since traced Medlin’s movements to the area of Cherry and Rutgers streets in Lower Manhattan, and later near Sands and Jay streets in Brooklyn, police said.
A photo released by Suffolk County Police shows Medlin wearing a backpack and holding a large object while walking on what appears to be a New York City subway platform.
Family members told News 12 Medlin’s disappearance is out of character and believe he may have traveled into the city to meet someone he became acquainted with through the online gaming platform Roblox. “He has never left us,” Medlin’s mother, Eva Yan, told the outlet.
Loved ones have been searching daily, organizing efforts across Long Island and Manhattan, checking homeless shelters, and canvassing areas where Medlin was last seen.
“Everyone loves him,” Yan said. “We just want him to be safe.”
Roblox launched an internal investigation after learning Medlin was missing, the company told CBS New York. They found no evidence that Medlin or anyone he was communicating with exchanged phone numbers or other personal contact information.
Messages reviewed were “consistent with typical in-game discussion,” and Medlin did not use voice chat, according to the company.
“We are holding Thomas and his family in our hearts as we hope for his safe return,” Roblox said in a statement. “We will continue to provide our full support to law enforcement throughout their investigation.”
In an update Wednesday, Jan. 28, Suffolk County Police revealed that Medlin was last seen on the Manhattan Bridge, where surveillance video captured a splash in the water.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Suffolk County Police Fourth Squad detectives at 631-854-8452 or call 911.
