Nintendo And FBI Collaborate To Find Girls Kidnapped By Predators In Arizona

JAKARTA - Thanks to Nintendo's collaboration with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), a kidnapped girl has now been found and is safe.

The unnamed child disappeared from his Virginia home on August 3, 2022. He was missing for 11 days and his 28-year-old kidnappers reportedly, Ethan Roberts.

He befriended the victim on the internet and assured him to travel 2,000 miles together to his apartment in Arizona, United States (US).

Before leaving with Roberts, he was allowed to bring his Nintendo Switch game console. Luckily, a friend of the victim who found out he was missing saw that the child had entered his Switch account.

Later, the friend quickly contacted the authorities to inform them. Nintendo and the FBI immediately tracked the girl through her IP address, finding them in the kidnappers' apartment.

The child was then released from Roberts' apartment the next day, and is now at his home in Virginia to recover from his trauma.

Roberts was charged in federal court for child pornography and the transport of minors with the intention of engaging in criminal sexual activity. He then made a plea deal, and April this year began a 30-year federal prison sentence.

Although this case ended well, it highlighted a double-edged sword from an online game. Predators or child predators can use games and the internet to find and kidnap victims.

In 2019, predators also used Fortnite with similar cases. This was quoted from Tom's Hardware and ABC15, Tuesday, July 18.