A chilling photo has emerged after a 15-year-old boy went missing after apparently travelling to New York City to meet someone he'd met through the online game Roblox.
Thomas Medlin, 15, left Stony Brook School at arounf 3.30PM on January 9, before "running" to Stony Brook train station where he boarded a train headed to New York City's Grand Central Station, the Suffolk County Police Department said in a statement released on January 12.
Police have released a surveillance photo of the Long Island teen at Grand Central Station, where he was last seen at around 5.30PM on January 9, and has not been heard from since.
His phone was located in Lower Manhattan and he was last spotted on surveillance footage in Brooklyn.
His mother, Eva Yan, told News 12 Long Island through tears: "He has never left us."
James Medlin, Thomas's father, added: "I just can’t believe why he left in the first place," as Yan sobbed: "We just want him to be safe."
Yan said that detectives believe Thomas met someone on the online game Roblox and had arranged to meet with them in the city, which is completely out of character for him.
A Roblox spokesperson told Fox News in a statement: "We are deeply troubled by this incident and are working with law enforcement to support their investigation.
"Roblox is built with safety at its core, including robust policies to help protect users that go beyond many other platforms. We have filters designed to block the sharing of personal information and don’t allow user-to-user image or video sharing.
"While no system is perfect, our commitment to safety never ends, and we continue to evolve and strengthen our protections every day. Given this involves an ongoing investigation, we cannot comment further at this time."
Yan also confirmed that family and friends had formed search parties in both Long Island and New York in the wake of Thomas's disappearance, adding: "Everyone loves him."
Police also told the family that the teen's last known sightings were near Cherry and Rutgers streets in Lower Manhattan and later near Sands and Jay Street in Brooklyn.
Authorities ask anyone with information on Thomas Medlin's whereabouts to call the Suffolk County Police Department’s Fourth Squad Detectives at 631-854-8452.