A 15 year-old girl, convinced to leave her home and then held in another state by a 26-year-old man, was found after he allowed her to play a game on her Nintendo Switch. The device logging on gave authorities all they needed to track her down and get her out: it immediately alerted all her friends she was online. Investigators called in the FBI, which got the IP and geolocation data from Nintendo.
On August 14, 2022, after eleven terrifying days for the child, the FBI managed to find Edwards' apartment complex, arresting Edwards and rescuing the abducted child safely.
Former Arizona Department of Public Safety director Frank Milstead commented on the case. Milstead stated, "Everything's connected to Wi-Fi to LTE (long-term evolution devices)," Milstead said. "A cell phone, an iPad, a watch, whatever it is – you can use those things to locate people."
The man was jailed for 30 years, the Justice Department announced in a press release.
A Tolleson, Arizona, man was sentenced yesterday to 30 years in prison for production of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
According to court documents, Ethan Roberts, 28, met a then 14-year-old juvenile online in January 2022. The juvenile lived in Norfolk. Roberts engaged in sexually explicit conversations with the minor for a seven-month period, repeatedly asking her to create and send sexually explicit images of herself to him. In August 2022, Roberts traveled by bus from Arizona to Norfolk. He picked up the minor and the pair traveled back to Roberts' apartment in Arizona. While in Arizona, the juvenile logged into her online gaming account. The juvenile's friend noticed her online, and informed law enforcement. Using the information from her online gaming account, the FBI was able to locate and rescue the juvenile from Roberts' apartment.
