OLIVE BRANCH, Miss. (AP) – Two Illinois men face kidnapping and conspiracy charges in Mississippi after authorities say they lured a teenager from his home using a video game-centered chat program.
Olive Branch police have charged 30-year-old Juan E. Andrade and 29-year-old Jason St. Aubin, both of Creal Springs, Illinois. It’s unclear if either man has a lawyer.
They’re accused of picking up 14-year-old John Aubrey Peal III in the middle of the night last week, after persuading him using the Discord application that Peal was saving the men from killing themselves.
Peal resurfaced Sunday at a fire station near the men’s home, after four days during which his disappearance was publicized on social media.
Williamson County, Illinois, sheriff’s deputies arrested Andrade and St. Aubin Monday.
Illinois officials tell local media they’re considering additional charges.
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