- Makayla Buckner, 16, was reported missing from her home in Lima, Ohio on December 28
- She was found 72 hours later at the home of Thomas Ebersole, whom she met online through World of Warcraft
- Ebersole drove 14 hours to pick her up and told FBI investigators he planned to marry the teen
A missing Ohio girl has been found in the Florida home of a 31-year-old suspect after she logged into the online game World of Warcraft at his home.
Video game enthusiast Makayla Buckner, 16, disappeared from her home in Lima on December 28.
Her mother, Jennifer Johns, immediately suspected she had been picked up by someone because her daughter suffers from extreme scoliosis, a curvature of the spine that limits her mobility.
The teen was discovered on January 3 at the home of ‘predator’ Thomas Ebersole in Dunnellon, following a search by the FBI.
He told investigators he planned to marry the girl, who had driven 14 hours to meet after they connected through the popular online fantasy game World of Warcraft.
Missing Ohio teen Makayla Buckner, 16, was found in a 31-year-old man’s home in Florida after the FBI tracked a login to 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 that the two were in a romantic relationship and planned to have sex with her, despite knowing it was a crime, officials said.
The FBI raided his home after tracing a login from Buckner’s World of Warcraft account to the address.
Her mother said her daughter was groomed by the suspect.
“He’s a predator,” Johns said 10 WBNS. ‘She was so brainwashed and so far gone that she didn’t realize the danger she was in.
“We taught her about predators. It hurts, but if you are conditioned and groomed by these predators, you will not be your normal self.”
Johns raised the alarm after returning from work to find her daughter missing.
“Every day you are separated from the child you brought into this world, you die a thousand deaths. You don’t consider something as precious as a child a child, nor do you expect us to go to hell and back to get you back.”
An arrest affidavit showed the two had long conversations on the app Discord, where they professed their love and called each other pet names.
Ebersole is charged with traveling to meet a minor for the purpose of engaging in sexual activity and interfering with child custody, as well as harboring an unmarried minor.
Buckner’s mother said her daughter was brainwashed by Ebersole, who she met through the popular fantasy gaming app
He drove nearly 2,000 miles to the teen’s home in Lima before taking her back to his home in Dunnellon, Florida, police said.
Their chat logs also detailed their discussions about Ebersole’s plan to drive 856 miles to pick up Buckner.
He is being held on $6,000 bail. He is charged with traveling to meet a minor for the purpose of engaging in sexual activity and interfering with child custody, as well as harboring an unmarried minor.
Johns is now calling on parents to ‘take action’ and monitor what their children are doing online.
Buckner was found unharmed and is now receiving psychiatric help.