Long Island teen found dead after NYC trip to meet Roblox contact
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A 15-year-old Long Island boy who disappeared after telling his parents he was meeting someone in the online Roblox game was found dead in Brooklyn waters two months later, police said.
Suffolk County Police Department, New York St. James’ Thomas Medlin was pulled from the waters off Red Hook, Brooklyn, on March 7, he announced. Authorities confirmed his identity on Thursday.
Medlin left Stony Brook School around 3:30 p.m. on Jan. 9 and ran into the Stony Brook train station, authorities said. He was last seen at Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan around 5:30 pm that day.
After his disappearance, Medlin’s family said their son went to New York to meet someone he met through the online game Roblox.
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15-year-old Thomas Medlin was identified after he was found in the waters off Red Hook, Brooklyn, on March 12, more than two months after his disappearance. (Suffolk County Police Department)
A Roblox spokesperson previously told Fox News Digital that the platform is “built on security at its core” and offers parental controls that allow parents to disable the in-game chat function.
“We are deeply concerned about this incident and are working with law enforcement to support their investigation,” the spokesperson said. “Roblox is designed with security at its core, including robust policies to help protect users that go beyond many other platforms. We have filters designed to prevent the sharing of personal information and do not allow user-to-user sharing of images or videos.”
The company added: “While no system is perfect, our commitment to security never ends and we continue to improve and strengthen our protections every day.”
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In this surveillance photo, Thomas Medlin is seen walking through Grand Central Station in New York City around 5:30 pm on January 9, police said. (Suffolk County Police Department)
After reviewing Medlin’s social media and online gaming profiles, police determined the platforms were “not linked” to the teenager’s disappearance.
Police added that there were “no signs of criminal activity.”
Investigators determined through video and digital evidence that Medlin’s last known location was on the Manhattan Bridge crosswalk at 7:06 p.m. on Jan. 9, and that his cell phone was last active at 7:09 p.m.
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Suffolk County Police confirmed on March 12 that Thomas Medlin’s body was found in Brooklyn, weeks after he disappeared. (Suffolk County Police Department)
At 7:10 p.m., a splash was recorded on surveillance video in the water below, according to investigators. Officials said Medlin was never seen coming off the bridge.
The investigation is still ongoing.
Fox News Digital’s Stephen Sorace contributed to this report.
