Following the rescue of 13-year-old Rylie Secrest, the Roosevelt teen who disappeared Tuesday morning and was later found in Cheyenne, Wyoming Thursday afternoon, the Utah Attorney General’s office warned parents and children about the dangers of online predators.
25-year-old Chris Evans from Florida had reportedly been speaking to the Roosevelt teen for about a month using Oculus, a virtual reality gaming platform, before the teen went missing. The two communicated and played games together by using customizable characters known as ‘avatars.’
Richard Piatt with the Utah Attorney General’s office says that it’s easier for predators to trick victims when chatting online since the victims believe they’re chatting with someone in particular, when they’re actually talking to somebody different. Piatt says that Meta/Facebook has been working with them to try and combat the problem of online predators.
Police say that Secrest appears to be in good health following her rescue.
