Missing teen lured away by video game chat resurfaces

OLIVE BRANCH, Miss. – A northwest Mississippi teenager has resurfaced in Illinois four days after he went missing.

Olive Branch police say 14-year-old John Aubrey Peal III turned himself in Sunday at an Illinois fire station.

Peal had been missing since Wednesday. His parents told local news outlets that Peal left after he made plans to meet someone in person whom he contacted using Discord — a video game-centred chat program.

Olive Branch police say they continue to investigate.

Peal’s father says his son turned himself in after seeing social media posts about his disappearance.

Developer Discord Inc. tells WHBQ-TV that it urges users to only chat with people they know. It also says it urges parents to teach children about the risks of communication with unknown people.