Florida man arrested after World of Warcraft video game helps authorities find missing 16-year-old girl

The authorities have said that they were able to locate a missing 16-year-old girl from Ohio after receiving unlikely assistance from the popular online video game World of Warcraft. The girl was reportedly discovered at a residence in Florida, according to CNN.

The FBI apparently reached out to the Marion County Sheriff's Office on Wednesday asking for help in finding the missing girl. The Marion County Sheriff's Office posted to Facebook concerning the incident, writing that 31-year-old Thomas Ebersole had been arrested for "Traveling to Meet a Minor to Engage in Sexual Activity, Interfering with Child Custody, and Sheltering an Unmarried Minor."

Investigators discovered that the teen's account for World of Warcraft — one of the largest online multiplayer role-playing games — was active at a residence in Dunnellon, Florida. The game is unique in that it allows potentially millions of people to inhabit the same virtual space, developing their characters and interacting with one another.

The authorities eventually discovered that the residence where the teen's gaming account was active belonged to Ebersole, whose own World of Warcraft account was also active at the time.

CNN reported that Ebersole denied knowing the teen girl at first, but he eventually admitted that he had traveled to Ohio to meet the girl and bring her back to Florida, according to the Facebook post.

"Ebersole also stated he was in a romantic relationship with the juvenile victim and was going to hide her in his home with plans for her to become his wife," the Facebook post continued.

"Ebersole provided Detective Osthed with Discord (an internet-based communications application) messages that further outlined his plans to meet the victim in Ohio and engage in sexual activity despite knowing that he was committing a crime."

Ebersole was ultimately taken into custody on Wednesday for allegedly traveling across state lines for the purpose of meeting a minor to engage in sexual activity, interfering with child custody, and sheltering an unmarried minor.

The 31-year-old was subsequently taken to the Marion County Jail, where he is currently being held without bail.

He is set to appear in court on February 6. There is no information on whether Ebersole has retained legal representation in the case.

It is not clear what punishment Ebersole could face if he is found guilty of the charges.

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