The Nintendo Switch is a jack of all trades. Sure, the hybrid console can’t hope to compete with the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One, let alone the PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series S/X, in terms of hardware. But, what it lacks in performance, it makes up for in other areas. Like, for example, a swath of first-party exclusives and portability. Now, it appears the Switch has yet another ace up its sleeve that other consoles can’t brag about – the ability to help law enforcement.
It was a typical summer in Virginia. For one 15-year-old girl, whose identity will remain unknown for her protection – the sun-drenched days of last August brought about an ordeal that no child should ever have to endure. In an age where our lives are increasingly intertwined with technology, this tale underscores both the risks and the unexpected avenues of hope offered by our digital world.
This Virginian teenager, known for her homebody nature, struck up an online conversation with a stranger, Ethan Roberts, 28, on the chatting platform Omegle in January of the same year. Their digital discourse then transitioned from Omegle to Discord and Snapchat, where it took a grotesque turn. Roberts then exploited the young girl’s naivety, manipulated her into exchanging explicit images, and later traveled a staggering 2,000 miles from his Arizona home to kidnap her, ushering the beginning of an 11-day ordeal, ABC15 reports.
Once the girl was reported missing, the Virginian community rallied to her aid. Flyers papered over every public space, and volunteers from Hear Their Voices a nonprofit dedicated to finding missing and exploited children – joined the effort to locate her. “We were out there ‘boots on the ground,'” said Keitra Coleman, a volunteer with the organization. However, the search was seemingly futile. The girl wasn’t just missing – a stranger had whisked her thousands of miles away into his apartment.
As Roberts forced the captive teen to meet strangers on Omegle to peddle illicit material, an unlikely hero emerged on the digital landscape. The girl, in an act of normalcy amidst the chaos, logged onto her Nintendo Switch. Her only intention was to pass the time by watching YouTube videos and downloading a game. Little did she know that this would end up saving her life.
As the console pinged her online status, one of her friends noticed and notified the authorities.
In an unprecedented move, the FBI turned to Nintendo for assistance. Using the information from the Nintendo Switch to pinpoint the device’s IP address, tracing it back to Roberts’s apartment in Tolleson, Arizona. The collaboration between the FBI, Nintendo, and an observant young friend led them to the girl, trapped but alive.
“The fact that somebody else down the road—another child—was bright enough to go, ‘Hey, look, my friend is online, and she’s been missing, and I need to tell somebody.’ Everything’s connected to Wi-Fi [and] LTE. You can use those things to locate people,” said retired Arizona DPS Director Frank Milstead.
Upon discovering her location, law enforcement moved in swiftly to rescue the girl and apprehend Roberts, indicting him on multiple counts, including online enticement of a minor, transportation of a minor, and receipt of child pornography. In April, he accepted a plea deal and was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison.
This case serves as a stark reminder of the digital age’s dangers, but also its unforeseen advantages. “As the world evolves, so does the FBI and how we solve cases. This is just one example of that,” an FBI representative stated. Thanks to the quick response, ingenious use of digital resources, and the FBI’s collaboration with Nintendo and local law enforcement, a nightmare was cut short.
Nintendo is believed to be working on a successor to the Nintendo Switch, which will house upgraded internals but retain the same portable nature. The unannounced console will be the first to welcome Call of Duty back into Nintendo consoles in years. It remains to be seen if the new Nintendo Switch will be released early next year or two years from now.
