The body of 15-year-old Thomas Medlin, who vanished in January after going to NYC to meet a Roblox contact, has been recovered. Police say there is no indication of criminal activity.
ST. JAMES, N.Y. – A two-month-long search for a missing Long Island teenager has ended in tragedy. Authorities confirmed Thursday that 15-year-old Thomas Medlin, who vanished after traveling to New York City in January, was found dead in the waters off Brooklyn.
The teen’s body was recovered from the waters near Red Hook, Brooklyn, on March 7, the Suffolk County Police Department announced. His identity was confirmed by officials two days later, closing a heartbreaking chapter for a family and community desperate for answers.
The Disappearance: A Trip to Meet an Online Contact
Thomas, a student from St. James, New York, left The Stony Brook School on the afternoon of Jan. 9. He ran to the Stony Brook train station around 3:30 p.m., beginning a journey that would take him to Manhattan.
Surveillance footage placed him at Grand Central Terminal around 5:30 p.m. that same day. According to his family, Thomas had gone to New York City with the intention of meeting someone he had connected with through the popular online gaming platform, Roblox.
The Investigation: Digital Trails and Surveillance Video
The case immediately drew attention to online safety, with Roblox issuing a statement. A company spokesperson previously told Fox News Digital that the platform is “built with safety at its core” and offers parental controls, including the ability to disable in-game chat. They stated they were cooperating fully with law enforcement.
However, after a thorough examination of Thomas’s social media and online gaming profiles, Suffolk County Police reached a significant conclusion: the platforms were “not connected” to his disappearance. Police also stated there is “no indication of criminal activity.”
Using video and digital evidence, investigators painstakingly pieced together Thomas’s final movements. They determined his last known location was on the pedestrian walkway of the Manhattan Bridge at 7:06 p.m. on Jan. 9. His cellphone signal was last active just three minutes later, at 7:09 p.m.
In a crucial piece of evidence, a splash was captured on surveillance video in the waters below the bridge at 7:10 p.m. Authorities confirmed that Thomas was never seen walking off the bridge.
A Community Mourns
The recovery of Thomas Medlin’s body brings a somber conclusion to a case that had gripped the Long Island community. The investigation remains ongoing, but the evidence gathered points to a solitary and tragic event.
The Suffolk County Police Department has not released further details. Our thoughts remain with Thomas’s family and friends during this difficult time.
