California man arrested after he allegedly lured a 10-year-old girl via Roblox and Discord

Content warning: This article mentions child sexual abuse. Please take care while reading.

According to CBS News, a scary situation played out recently in California where police arrested a 27-year-old Elk Grove, California, man, Matthew Macatuno Naval, charged with kidnapping and unlawful sexual contact with a child.

According to the authorities, Naval contacted and then abducted a 10-year-old Taft, California girl, through the popular internet game Roblox and the Discord chat app. The authorities rescued the girl the same day she was reported missing.

The disappearance

Reports say the girl’s family contacted the Kern County Sheriff’s Office on April 13, 2025, telling authorities they had not seen the girl since the night before. The girl’s friends told deputies that they suspected she had been abducted. Police learned that she was talking to Naval on Roblox and Discord.

Police officials traced the whereabouts of the girl to Elk Grove, more than four hours away from her home. Authorities found Naval with the girl in his car at a strip mall. The child is in protective custody and then returned to her family. Cops arrested Naval at the scene.

Kids face risks online

The Elk Grove incident spotlights the dangers of online sites visited by kids. Roblox and Discord have both previously come under fire for being utilized by predators to abuse kids. Also in 2025, a California family brought a lawsuit against Roblox Corp. and Discord Inc., alleging the firms facilitated the sexual exploitation of a 13-year-old kid in an unrelated case.

The complaint outlined how a predator utilized Roblox to stalk and groom the child, then moved conversations to Discord for exploitation.

“Big Tech keeps cashing in while kids pay the price,” attorney Alexandra Walsh said of the litigation. “Roblox markets itself as safe for children, yet it’s a hunting ground for predators. Parents deserve the truth, and this case is about holding these companies accountable,” Walsh added.

“We do in the company take the attitude that any bad, even one bad incident, is one too many,” Roblox’s co-founder and CEO, Dave Baszucki, told the BBC in March 2025 regarding child safety on the gaming platform.

“We watch for bullying, we watch for harassment, we filter all of those kinds of things, and I would say behind the scenes, the analysis goes on all the way to, if necessary, reaching out to law enforcement.”

Referring to Naval’s arrest, the Kern County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement, “Parents, monitor all electronic usage and know who your children are communicating with. Many apps and games have messaging capabilities and present the same, if not more, risk as social media platforms.”

It is unclear whether Naval has legal representation, what he might plead, or when he is expected to appear in court. The girl’s identity and that of her family have not been disclosed. They have not commented on the situation.

If you or someone you know has been sexually abused, there is help. Text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to get linked with a trained crisis counselor