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Thomas Ebersole, a 31-year-old male, via World of Warcraft and Discord, allegedly outlined and carried out a plan to meet up with a young girl whom he claims he was in a “romantic relationship” with. Thanks to Blizzard Entertainment’s MMO, the two began to talk, leading to Thomas being arrested for allegedly “traveling to meet a minor to engage in sexual activity,” “interfering with child custody,” and “sheltering an unmarried minor.”
The story of a missing girl led the FBI to reach out to the Marion County Sheriff’s Department to find out who Thomas Ebersole is and how he abducted her via World of Warcraft.
Who is Thomas Ebersole, and what did he do through World of Warcraft?
Thomas Ebersole is one of millions of people who play World of Warcraft - an MMO that is still releasing new content after 19 years. Some find lifelong friendships there and even romance.
However, in this man’s case, he allegedly met up with a 16-year-old girl from Ohio and drove her back to his home in Dunnellon, Florida. After it was known that a young girl had gone missing, the FBI contacted the Sheriff’s Department in Marion County, Florida, for assistance.
Her World of Warcraft account was pinged down in Florida instead of her home in Ohio. Thanks to this, the authorities were able to find the girl and Thomas Ebersole, who allegedly admitted he went to her home state of Ohio and picked her up. Despite initially denying it, he admitted he was in a “romantic relationship” with the girl and was going to marry her.
He would also share Discord messages from his time talking to the young girl, providing authorities with further details about his plans to meet her. These messages would also allegedly show that he knew it was a crime.
The girl was ultimately found, thanks to the fact that she was logged into her World of Warcraft account - an MMO that is still incredibly popular in 2024.
Ebersole’s next court date is on February 6, 2024. He is currently being held without bond. However, thanks to Blizzard's hit MMORPG WoW, the girl was found.
