10-year-old girl kidnapped by man she met on Roblox, police say

A California man has been arrested for kidnapping a 10-year-old child he met on social media, according to police. (Kern County Sheriff's Office via CNN Newsource)

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 Wednesday.

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. CNN is working to determine whether Naval has legal representation.

Kern County deputies began on Sunday 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 Sunday afternoon, 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 for Friday.

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.”

CNN has reached out to Roblox and Discord for comments.

Last month, in response to claims that children are being exposed to harmful content on the site, Roblox’s co-founder and CEO Dave Baszucki told the BBC the company takes “the attitude that any bad, even one bad incident, is one too many.”

“We watch for bullying, we watch for harassment, we filter all of those kinds of things, and I would say behind the scenes, the analysis goes on all the way to, if necessary, reaching out to law enforcement.”

Written by Lex Harvey, CNN