An Elk Grove man is accused of kidnapping a 10-year-old child he played with in the popular video game Roblox, officials said.| VIDEO ABOVE | KCRA 3 morning headlines for April 17, 2025Matthew Macatuno Naval, 27, was taken to the Sacramento County jail on kidnapping and sex crimes with a child, the Kern County Sheriff’s Office said.Roblox allows players to create their own content and games within the platform. It also allows users to play online with others.The Kern County Sheriff’s Office said that around 10 a.m. Sunday, deputies went to Cypress Street in Taft for a report of a missing child. Family members told deputies that the last time they saw the child was at home the night before.Detectives began looking into the case when deputies got information from friends that the child may have been kidnapped, the sheriff’s office said. They learned that the child was communicating with Naval through Roblox and Discord, an app that allows communication through text, voice and video.The sheriff’s office asked the Elk Grove Police Department for help in this case, and officers found Naval with the child in his car at a strip mall near where he lives. Authorities took the child into protective custody until the family reunited with the 10-year-old and arrested Naval. Amar Gandhi, a spokesperson for the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office, said Kern County officials transferred Naval into their custody on Wednesday.”Parents, monitor all electronic usage and know who your children are communicating with,” the Kern County Sheriff’s Office said. “Many apps and games have messaging capabilities and present the same, if not more, risk as social media platforms.”The sheriff’s office did not clarify in its original release if the child was a boy or a girl.See news happening? Send us your photos or videos if it’s safe to do so at kcra.com/upload.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
An Elk Grove man is accused of kidnapping a 10-year-old child he played with in the popular video game Roblox, officials said.
| VIDEO ABOVE | KCRA 3 morning headlines for April 17, 2025
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Matthew Macatuno Naval, 27, was taken to the Sacramento County jail on kidnapping and sex crimes with a child, the Kern County Sheriff’s Office said.
Roblox allows players to create their own content and games within the platform. It also allows users to play online with others.
The Kern County Sheriff’s Office said that around 10 a.m. Sunday, deputies went to Cypress Street in Taft for a report of a missing child. Family members told deputies that the last time they saw the child was at home the night before.
Detectives began looking into the case when deputies got information from friends that the child may have been kidnapped, the sheriff’s office said. They learned that the child was communicating with Naval through Roblox and Discord, an app that allows communication through text, voice and video.
The sheriff’s office asked the Elk Grove Police Department for help in this case, and officers found Naval with the child in his car at a strip mall near where he lives. Authorities took the child into protective custody until the family reunited with the 10-year-old and arrested Naval.
Amar Gandhi, a spokesperson for the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office, said Kern County officials transferred Naval into their custody on Wednesday.
“Parents, monitor all electronic usage and know who your children are communicating with,” the Kern County Sheriff’s Office said. “Many apps and games have messaging capabilities and present the same, if not more, risk as social media platforms.”
The sheriff’s office did not clarify in its original release if the child was a boy or a girl.
See news happening? Send us your photos or videos if it’s safe to do so at kcra.com/upload.
See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
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