A Georgia native is now facing multiple charges after police said he lured a Kansas girl from her home after meeting her on the gaming app Roblox.

The accused, Howard Graham, 33, was arrested at his job and is now facing charges of interference with custody, trafficking, and rape.

According to police reports, Graham reportedly drove to Topeka, Kansas, to pick up a 13-year-old before bringing her back to his home state.

Investigators also stated that Graham told his roommates the teenager was his stepdaughter, but the girl alerted one of the roommates that he wasn’t telling the truth.

In addition, Graham was able to convince the girl two days later to sneak out of her home in Topeka, Kansas, and run away with him back to Clayton County.

Police say that between that time and when she was found by officers, the underage girl had sexual relations with Graham “many times”. Clayton County officers began their investigation on the night of February 24, when the victim told one of Graham’s roommates that she “wanted to go back home”.

The roommate, who previously believed that the girl was Graham’s step-daughter, discovered what was happening and confronted him that night, officers said.

“The roommate became extremely upset and confronted this perpetrator and this predator when he arrived back home from his job,” Clayton County Police Capt. John Ivey said.

Police said Graham dropped the child off at a Dollar General, and officers were able to locate her.

The girl is back at home in Kansas.

Furthermore, around the same time, the girl was able to access a computer and send a message to her mom through Roblox telling her where she was and pointing her to the address of a Clayton County Dollar General.

The mother contacted Clayton County police, who began their investigation and found the girl safe on the night of Feb. 24 at the Dollar General.

In response to the outcome of events, Captain Ivey also emphasised that parents need to be aware and careful with who their children are talking about through online games like Roblox.

“Parents don’t realise – they think they’re playing on there with other kids. And they’re not, they’re playing with people who are preying on their kids,” Ivey said. “We’re extremely lucky we find this young girl and she’s alive, to be perfectly honest with you.”

The victim is now back home with her family.

Meanwhile, Roblox spokesperson said in a statement obtained by WGCL that the company would comply with law enforcement in the case, and there are thousands of moderators tasked with enforcing community standards that include zero tolerance for sexual content.

“We filter all text chat on the platform to block inappropriate content or personal information, and we offer parental controls and features such as ‘Account Restrictions,’ so parents and caregivers have the option to limit chat to a curated list of contacts or turn chat off altogether,” the spokesperson said.

“We were deeply saddened to hear about this case. There is nothing more important to parents — including the many parents who work at Roblox — than ensuring that children are safe when they learn and play, online or off. We work tirelessly to prevent grooming on our platform. We have stringent safety systems and a team of thousands of moderators who enforce a strict set of community standards on Roblox, including zero tolerance for sexual content of any kind. While we have not been contacted by authorities about this case, we always cooperate with law enforcement requests and promptly report any suspicious behavior to relevant organizations such as the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) in the United States.

“The safety of users on Roblox is at the core of everything we do, and we have a number of dedicated features designed to keep kids safe while playing Roblox. We filter all text chat on the platform to block inappropriate content or personal information and we offer parental controls and features such as ‘Account Restrictions,’ so parents and caregivers have the option to limit chat to a curated list of contacts or turn chat off altogether. Users can also mute or block players that they come across in games and report inappropriate content or behavior using our Report Abuse system” – Roblox Spokesperson.