Long Island Teen Vanishes After Traveling to Meet Roblox “Friend”
His Family is Concerned for His Safety
Long Island Teen Vanishes After Taking Train to NYC to Meet Roblox “Friend”
Fifteen-year-old Thomas Medlin disappeared from Saint James three weeks ago, sparking fears about online predators and the hidden dangers of gaming platforms
By The Cold Cases Staff | January 29, 2026
SAINT JAMES, N.Y. — The last confirmed sighting of Thomas Medlin was captured on grainy surveillance footage at Grand Central Terminal’s bustling concourse. The 15-year-old, barely 5’4” and weighing just 130 pounds, stood alone in the Friday afternoon rush, his black jacket with red stripes visible among the crowd of commuters. It was 5:30 p.m. on January 9, 2026. He hasn’t been seen since.
For more than two weeks, the sophomore from The Stony Brook School has remained missing, vanishing after what investigators believe was a calculated journey into Manhattan to meet someone he had connected with through the massively popular online gaming platform Roblox—a meeting that has now triggered both a criminal investigation and renewed scrutiny of digital safety for minors.
THE DISAPPEARANCE
According to the Suffolk County Police Department, Medlin’s disappearance was methodical. He left school around 3:30 p.m. that Thursday afternoon and made his way directly to the train station. By evening, he had traveled the approximately 50 miles from the affluent North Shore community of Saint James into the heart of Manhattan, where surveillance cameras at Grand Central captured his final known movements.
“He was last seen wearing a black jacket with red stripes, dark sweatpants with white stripes, a black backpack, and glasses,” police said in a statement. Despite an extensive search by the Fourth Squad Detectives, no additional sightings have been confirmed since that Friday evening.
The case took on a more sinister dimension when reports emerged that Medlin had allegedly gone to New York City to meet someone he had befriended through Roblox, the online gaming platform that boasts over 70 million daily active users, many of them children and teenagers.
THE PLATFORM’S SHADOW SIDE
Roblox, a virtual ecosystem where users create and explore digital worlds, has long walked a tightrope between fostering creativity and protecting its predominantly young user base. In Medlin’s case, the platform has become a central focus of the investigation.
Roblox Corporation confirmed they launched an internal investigation upon learning of Medlin’s disappearance. Their preliminary findings have done little to ease parental fears.
“We didn’t see any instances of Medlin or the people he was talking to sharing phone numbers or other contact information,” the company stated. “All messages were consistent with typical in-game discussion, and he did not use voice chat.”
The platform emphasized their cooperation with law enforcement and offered condolences to the family: “We are holding Thomas and his family in our hearts as we hope for his safe return.”
However, the case highlights a disturbing reality of modern childhood: the blurred lines between virtual friendship and physical danger. Even without the exchange of explicit contact information or voice communication, predators can establish trust and emotional connections with minors through sustained in-game interaction—connections that can lead to real-world meetings with catastrophic consequences.
A PATTERN OF VULNERABILITY
Medlin’s disappearance comes just months after Roblox announced sweeping changes to its safety protocols. In November 2025, the company revealed plans to implement AI-powered facial age-estimation technology combined with ID-based verification and parental consent requirements. The new protections are specifically designed to limit communications between adults and minors unless they already know each other in real life.
The timing suggests a company aware of its platform’s vulnerabilities, racing to plug gaps that predators continue to exploit. Whether these measures could have prevented Medlin’s disappearance remains unknown.
What is clear is that Medlin fits a troubling profile seen in other internet-facilitated abductions: a teenager old enough to travel independently but young enough to be manipulated by sophisticated online grooming tactics. His physical description—small for his age, wearing glasses, carrying a distinctive backpack—paints a picture of youth and potential naivety that makes his disappearance all the more alarming.
THE SEARCH CONTINUES
As days stretch into weeks, the Suffolk County Police Department continues to treat the case as an active missing persons investigation, though the silence has been deafening. No ransom demands have been made public. No witnesses have come forward to report seeing Medlin after his arrival at Grand Central. The teenager appears to have vanished into the city’s anonymous expanse.
“We just want to know he’s safe,” family members said through intermediaries, their pleas echoing the anguish of any parent facing the abyss of a child’s unexplained disappearance. “Please just tell us he’s safe.”
The Fourth Squad Detectives are specifically requesting assistance from anyone who may have seen Medlin on January 9 or in the days following his disappearance. Given the initial theory that he traveled to meet someone from Roblox, investigators are likely examining digital footprints, gaming logs, and any potential surveillance footage from locations where such a meeting might have occurred.
A DIGITAL AGE DILEMMA
The Medlin case serves as a stark reminder of how the architecture of modern childhood has fundamentally shifted. For today’s teenagers, friendships forged in digital spaces can feel as real and significant as those formed on school playgrounds. The virtual worlds of Roblox, Minecraft, and Fortnite are not merely games but social hubs where adolescents explore identity, seek validation, and sometimes fall prey to exploitation.
Parents are left navigating an impossible landscape: restricting access to these platforms can isolate children from their peer groups, while granting access opens doors to potential dangers that previous generations never faced. Medlin’s disappearance suggests that even vigilant monitoring—he apparently did not share personal contact information or engage in voice chat—may not be sufficient protection against predators skilled in the slow, patient work of online grooming.
HOW TO HELP
Thomas Medlin is described as a white male, 15 years old, 5’4” tall, weighing approximately 130 pounds, with glasses. He was last seen wearing a black jacket with red stripes, dark sweatpants with white stripes, and carrying a black backpack.
Anyone with information regarding his whereabouts is urged to contact the Suffolk County Police Department’s Fourth Squad Detectives immediately at 631-854-8452.
The investigation remains active, and authorities have not ruled out any possibilities regarding Medlin’s current status or location. For now, his family waits, the community watches, and a troubling question hangs over the intersection of childhood and technology: How many more children will vanish through the glowing screens we place in their hands?