DUNNELLON, FL – A Florida man, 31-year-old Thomas Ebersole, was apprehended by authorities on January 3, 2024, following allegations that he harbored a missing 16-year-old girl from Ohio, with intentions of engaging in sexual activities with her. The arrest was announced by the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.
Detective Henrick Osthed, who was instrumental in the arrest, was initially approached by an FBI special agent seeking assistance in locating the missing teenager. The breakthrough in the case came when the girl logged into her World of Warcraft account from Ebersole’s residence in Dunnellon, providing investigators with the crucial lead.
Further probing revealed that Ebersole himself was an active player of the online video game, with his account being accessed from the same location. When first contacted by law enforcement, Ebersole denied any knowledge of the missing girl, but upon further questioning, he confessed to driving to Ohio to meet her and bringing her back to his home.
Ebersole claimed to be in a romantic relationship with the minor, stating he intended to keep her hidden in his home and eventually marry her. He also handed over messages from the online chat platform, Discord, to Detective Osthed, which detailed his plans to meet the girl in Ohio and engage in sexual activity, despite being aware of the criminal implications.
Ebersole was subsequently arrested and is currently being held without bond at the Marion County Jail. He faces charges of interfering with child custody, traveling to meet a minor to engage in sexual activity, and sheltering an unmarried minor.
The case underscores growing concerns about the online sexual exploitation of minors. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCME) reports a significant increase in online enticement of children for sexual acts, with an 82% increase since 2021 and a 113% increase since 2020. The NCME attributes part of this surge to financial sextortion, where children are coerced into sharing explicit photos and subsequently blackmailed for money.
Discord, the chat messaging app used by Ebersole, has been previously implicated in cases involving child predators. An NBC report earlier this year highlighted 35 cases over the past six years where adults were prosecuted on charges of kidnapping, grooming, or sexual assault that involved chat messages on Discord.