DUNNELLON, FL – Thomas Ebersole, a 31-year-old resident of Florida, was taken into custody on January 3, 2024, after being accused of sheltering a 16-year-old girl who had been reported missing from Ohio. Ebersole allegedly had plans to engage in sexual activities with the minor, according to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.
The case was cracked when the missing teenager logged into her World of Warcraft account from Ebersole’s home in Dunnellon. This information was discovered by Detective Henrick Osthed, who was assisting an FBI special agent in the search for the girl. Further investigation revealed that Ebersole also had an account on the online game platform, accessed from the same location.
Initially, Ebersole denied any knowledge of the girl when questioned by law enforcement. However, under more intense scrutiny, he confessed to picking up the minor from Ohio and bringing her back to his residence. Ebersole claimed to be romantically involved with the girl and expressed intentions to hide her in his house and eventually marry her.
Ebersole also provided Detective Osthed with messages from the chat application, Discord, which detailed his plans to meet the girl in Ohio and engage in sexual activity, despite his awareness of the legal consequences.
Following his arrest, Ebersole was detained in the Marion County Jail without bond. He is facing charges of interfering with child custody, traveling to meet a minor to engage in sexual activity, and sheltering an unmarried minor.
The incident has sparked renewed concerns about the online sexual exploitation of children. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCME) has reported a significant increase in online enticement of children for sexual acts, with an 82% increase since 2021 and a 113% increase since 2020. Part of this increase is attributed to financial sextortion, a crime where children are manipulated into sharing explicit photos and then blackmailed for money.
Discord, the chat application used by Ebersole, has been previously linked to cases of child exploitation. An NBC report earlier this year identified 35 cases over the past six years where adults were prosecuted for charges such as kidnapping, grooming, or sexual assault that involved chat messages on Discord.