- Makayla Buckner,16, was reported missing from her Lima, Ohio, home on December 28
- She was found 72 hours later at the home of Thomas Ebersole who she met online though World of Warcraft
- Ebersole drove 14 hours to pick her up and told FBI investigators that he planned to marry the teen
A missing Ohio girl has been located in Florida at the home of a 31-year-old suspect after she logged into the online game World of Warcraft at his residence.
Video game enthusiast Makayla Buckner, 16, vanished from her Lima home on December 28.
Her mom, Jennifer Johns, immediately suspected she had been picked up by someone as her daughter suffers from extreme scoliosis, a curvature of the spine, which restricts her mobility.
The teen was discovered at the Dunnellon home of ‘predator’ Thomas Ebersole on January 3 following a search by the FBI.
He told investigators he planned to marry the girl, who had driven 14 hours to meet after connecting through the popular online fantasy game, World of Warcraft.
Missing Ohio teenager Makayla Buckner, 16, was located at the home of a 31-year-old man in Florida after the FBI tracked a login from her online World of Warcraft account
Thomas Ebersole drove 14 hours to kidnap Buckner after hatching a plan to meet and marry the teen, authorities said
He stated the two were in a romantic relationship and planned to have sex with her, despite knowing it was a crime, officials said.
The FBI swooped on his home after tracing a login from Buckner’s World of Warcraft account to the address.
Her mom said her daughter had been groomed by the accused.
‘He is a predator,’ Johns told 10 WBNS. ‘She was so brainwashed and so far gone, she does not realize the danger that she was in.
‘We educated her on predators. It hurts but when you’re conditioned and groomed by these predators, you’re not going to be your normal self.’
Johns raised the alarm after she returned from work to find her daughter missing.
‘You die 1,000 deaths every day you’re separated from the child that you brought into this world. You don’t take as something as precious as a child, and not expect us to go to hell and back to get you back.’
An arrest affidavit showed the two were engaging in lengthy chats on the app Discord where they professed their love and called each other pet names.
Ebersole faces felony charges of traveling to meet a minor to engage in sexual activity and interfering with child custody, as well as a misdemeanor charge of sheltering an unmarried minor
Buckner’s mom said her daughter was brainwashed by Ebersole, who she met through the popular fantasy gaming app
He drove almost 2,000 miles to the teen’s home in Lima before bringing her back to his home in Dunnellon, Florida, police said
Their chat logs also detailed their discussions about the plan for Ebersole to drive 856 miles to come and pick up Buckner.
He is being held on $6,000 bail. He faces felony charges of traveling to meet a minor to engage in sexual activity and interfering with child custody, as well as a misdemeanor charge of sheltering an unmarried minor.
Johns is now calling on parents to ‘step up’ and check on what their children are up to online.
Buckner was found unharmed and is now receiving psychiatric support.
