news culture After being missing for 11 days, the FBI found a teenager thanks to the activity of her Nintendo Switch
In today’s connected world, technology is widely used by government agencies and law enforcement to connect information and solve cases. And in the case of this story, it was actually the Nintendo Switch that provided the happy ending.
Disappeared and then found
The story we are telling you here goes back a year but is linked to breaking news as the perpetrator of the misconduct was convicted a few weeks ago. Back to an incredible story. In August 2022, a 15-year-old Virginia girl went missing and investigators had no leads. She was finally found eleven days later in the town of Tolleson, Arizona. And it is unfortunately a bad encounter with the Internet that put the young woman before an ordeal. While surfing the internet, she met a 29-year-old man, Ethan Roberts. He manages to seduce her and goes to her house to pick her up. She takes various things with her along the way, including her Nintendo Switch. On site, she has access to everyday activities, including video games and watching videos on YouTube. But at the same time, the hideous individual forces her to undress and films her. And then, at the end of the eleventh day…
The pedophile was exposed by the Nintendo Switch
By making contact, the young woman attracted the attention of her friends. He noticed that his account was regularly online and immediately informed the responsible investigators. With Nintendo’s help, the FBI was able to get Robert’s much-needed IP address and only took a few minutes to locate his apartment. That same day, the FBI and Tolleson police surrounded the individual’s home and they arrested him immediately. He was charged in federal court with child pornography and possession of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity. Ethan Roberts was sentenced to 30 years in prison and those in charge of the investigation subsequently stated that the initiative of the girl’s friends was decisive. Without that connection, they would have been a lot harder to find, which is why Frank Milstead, the former director of the Arizona Department of Privacy, said criminals are always under surveillance and they leave a digital footprint everywhere they go. Before we conclude: “We’ll find you.” This case shows that the techniques used by the police today are impressive and that it was in fact the Nintendo Switch that made the rescue of this young girl possible.
