FBI Used Nintendo Switch To Find Missing Girl Who Was Taken 2,000 Miles Away

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CCTV and scientific evidence are frequently key pieces of evidence when police and local authorities are trying to solve a crime.

However, a Nintendo Switch game console helped locate a young girl who had been moved a stunning 2,000 kilometers away for what is possibly the first time ever.

On August 3, 2022, as she was becoming friends with Ethan Roberts, 28, the anonymous 15-year-old girl vanished.

The youngster was forced into creating child sex abuse pictures, and Roberts later traveled from Arizona to Virginia to kidnap her, according to court filings, as reported by ABC 15.

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After she vanished, efforts were undertaken in the neighborhood to try to locate the girl and bring her back to her missing family.

Unfortunately, these endeavors fell short, which is when the Nintendo Switch entered the picture.

She wasn't authorized to carry anything, but she did have her Nintendo Switch with her when Roberts kidnapped the minor.

The girl downloaded games from the console and watched YouTube as a friend saw her name appear.

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Police were notified by the family of that friend, and with Nintendo's assistance, they were able to locate the girl once and for all.

Only 11 days after the girl went missing, the FBI was able to find her thanks to the console manufacturer's ability to acquire the console's IP address.

The Nintendo Switch ultimately helped her find her family so that she could be reunited with them.

Creating photographs of child sex abuse and transporting a kid with the purpose to engage in criminal sexual activity were among the counts against Roberts that led to his April sentencing to 30 years in federal prison.

Frank Milstead, a former director of the Arizona DPS who is now retired, emphasized how distinctive this search effort was.

He said: "It's probably nothing that anybody even had thought of at this point.”

"The fact that somebody else down the road - another child - was bright enough to go, 'Hey, look, my friend is online, and she's been missing, and I need to tell somebody.'"

He continued: "Everything's connected to Wi-Fi to LTE. A cell phone, an iPad, a watch, whatever it is - you can use those things to locate people.”

"The bad guys need to know that the police are watching and that you're leaving a digital footprint everywhere you go. We will find you."

While technology can be misused, this remarkable case demonstrates how it can be harnessed for good.

As technology continues to advance, it provides new and innovative ways for law enforcement to protect communities and bring criminals to justice. Cases like this highlight the importance of staying vigilant and mindful of the digital footprints we leave behind, both as individuals and as a society, in the pursuit of a safer world.