New particulars have emerged within the case in opposition to a Sacramento County man accused of kidnapping a 10-year-old woman whom he met on the net gaming platform Roblox.
Matthew Naval was arrested on April 13 after authorities say they discovered him with the lacking woman and her pet chicken in an Elk Grove strip mall, over 250 miles from her Kern County dwelling. Naval has pleaded not responsible to a number of felony prices for kidnapping and lewd acts with a minor.
Naval, 27, informed a deputy from the Kern County Sheriff’s Workplace that the woman had stated she was 18. He stated he agreed to choose her up so she might “escape” verbal abuse at dwelling they usually could possibly be collectively as a pair, in keeping with a report submitted by the deputy and filed in Kern County Superior Courtroom.
Naval allegedly admitted she seemed youthful in particular person, telling a deputy he thought she was perhaps 17. He ended the interview by saying, “I believe it will be finest if I don’t know the way outdated she is,” the deputy’s report says.
His lawyer, Mark Anthony Raimondo, informed The Occasions that Naval has psychological well being challenges and will have autism.
The day earlier than the woman went lacking, she posted a video on TikTok with the caption, “First time getting kidnapped, lmao,” and photographs shot out of a automobile window, in keeping with a report filed by a deputy. She additionally informed pals she was going to pay somebody to kidnap her, in keeping with one other deputy’s report.
The woman informed an Elk Grove Police officer that Naval picked her up round midnight to hang around at a park. She stated she obtained distracted speaking with him and didn’t understand that they have been heading away from her dwelling within the metropolis of Taft till round three hours later, the officer wrote in court docket paperwork.
She informed the officer she wished to go dwelling at that time, however didn’t inform Naval as a result of she didn’t know the way to ask, paperwork say. When requested by a sheriff’s deputy what she wish to see occur to Naval, she stated, “I wish to know that he doesn’t do it to anybody else,” the deputy reported.
The pair allegedly met on Roblox in March and had chatted on Discord for a number of weeks. Naval claims he didn’t know what she seemed like till he picked her up in April, in keeping with court docket information.
He allegedly informed legislation enforcement that that they had masturbated collectively on-line — him along with his digital camera on and her together with her digital camera off, in keeping with a deputy’s report. He stated that he kissed her on the lips “a number of occasions” and held her hand throughout their drive, however that they didn’t have any sexual contact. He additionally informed a deputy that in the event that they obtained a lodge and she or he would have been keen to have intercourse he would have “severely thought of it,” the doc states.
He tried to get a motel room for them to remain at in Fresno, court docket paperwork state, however was turned down as a result of he lacked two types of identification.
Raimondo argued that Naval didn’t perceive the character of the scenario or the woman’s age, given his psychological well being challenges.
“I believe Roblox has to take some duty right here. I believe the dad and mom need to take some duty,” he stated. “The penalty for this travesty, which is a extremely, actually enormous misunderstanding, mustn’t fall on Matthew’s shoulders alone.”
In an interview with native information station KGET, Naval stated he didn’t study her actual age till he was arrested and that it “sickens” him each time hears it.
“I ought to’ve been extra cautious,” he informed the outlet. “I ought to’ve been extra questioning when it got here to having that particular person concerned.”
Roblox is an internet platform the place customers can design their very own video games and invite others to play. It studies having 97.8 million every day lively customers with a core demographic of youngsters and youths. Naval informed a sheriff’s deputy that the Roblox is “kiddish,” however he performs it for the “social facet.”
The platform has drawn criticism for a way it may be utilized by pedophiles to message kids, and in excessive instances, kidnap them. Roblox has stated that it takes any habits on its platform that doesn’t abide by its requirements “extraordinarily severely.”
“We repeatedly evolve and improve our security method to catch and stop malicious or dangerous exercise,” the corporate stated in a 2024 assertion. “This contains textual content chat filters to dam inappropriate phrases and phrases, and never permitting user-to-user picture sharing on Roblox.”
A member of the family reported the woman lacking when she was not in her mattress round 8 a.m. on April 13, in keeping with court docket paperwork. A relative stated the woman didn’t have a historical past of operating away or psychological well being points, however that he had taken away her cellphone prior to now as a result of she was speaking with strangers on functions.
Later that day, relations used a “discover my system” app to see that her cellphone was close to Elk Grove and related to a community known as “Matthew’s Wifi,” in keeping with a deputy’s report filed in court docket. In addition they discovered a buddy of the woman on Roblox with the username “TheMatt3798.”
Deputies say they then realized the account was registered to a Matthew Naval, who lived in Elk Grove. Naval was additionally the registered proprietor of a 2014 Honda Civic that license plate readers had captured driving by McKittrick in Kern County at 3:17 a.m on April 13 after which farther north in Kettleman Metropolis in Kings County at 4:10 a.m., authorities say.
The Sheriff’s Workplace contacted the Elk Grove Police Division for help. Officers then discovered the woman and Naval at a strip mall close to his dwelling and took him into custody, in keeping with authorities.
Naval is being held in a Bakersfield jail in lieu of $1.35-million bail, in keeping with Kern County inmate information.
He was charged on April 18 with a rely of kidnapping, a rely of kidnapping a toddler below 14 to commit lewd or lascivious acts, two counts of lewd or lascivious acts with a toddler below 14, a rely of exhibiting dangerous materials to a minor, a rely of contacting a minor with intent to commit a sexual offense and a rely of contacting a minor to commit a sexual offense, all felonies, court docket information present.
Naval has pleaded not responsible to all prices and is scheduled to look in court docket on June 25.
