Authorities say they were able to locate a missing 16-year-old girl from Ohio at a residence in Florida with the help of the popular online video game World of Warcraft.
The FBI contacted the Marion County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday seeking help finding the teenager, according to a Facebook post by the sheriff’s office in north-central Florida.
Investigators learned the teen’s account for World of Warcraft, a massively multiplayer online role-playing game, was active at a residence in Dunnellon, Florida, authorities said in the post.
A MMORPG is a video game that takes place in a virtual environment called a persistent-state world, according to Techopedia, where potentially millions of players can develop their role-playing characters and interact together.
According to authorities, the residence was the home address of Thomas Ebersole, 31, whose World of Warcraft account was also pinged at the location.
Ebersole was arrested later Wednesday for allegedly traveling to meet a minor to engage in sexual activity, interfering with child custody and sheltering an unmarried minor.
CNN has been unable to determine if he has been appointed or retained legal representation at this time. »
