Skip to content
Main Menu
Utah Attorney General
Search
Attorney General
Sean D. Reyes
Utah Office of the Attorney General
Secondary Navigation

Roosevelt 13 Year Old Returned Home After ICAC Investigation

ROOSEVELT — The Roosevelt Police Department led an investigation assisted by the Utah Attorney General’s Office, Unita County Sheriff’s Office, the FBI, and other law enforcement and in conjunction with tech company Meta, in arresting 25-year-old Chris Evans, a Florida trucker who had kidnapped 13-year-old Rylie Secrest after meeting her online.

Read the latest press releases from Roosevelt City Police Department, below.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:


MISSING CHILD HAS BEEN LOCATED
RYLIE SECREST was located at 3:39 p.m. on March 10, 2022, in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
Rylie was found by the Cheyenne City Police Department in the back of a white bobtail semi-truck being driven by Chris Evans, 25 of Florida. Roosevelt City Police Officers, in cooperation with the Utah Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC), the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), Utah State Bureau of Investigations, National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and the Uintah County Sheriff’s Department obtained suspect information and also determined an approximate location of Evans using data from cell phones and communication apps. Investigators have determined Rylie communicated with Evans using Oculus, a Meta program, for approximately one month. This is one of the first instances of a case involving Oculus in the nation. Rylie was located by Cheyanne police within one hour of identifying Evans as a suspect. Rylie appears to be in good health. An investigation regarding kidnapping and harboring runaway charges against Evans is underway.


Precautions for Parents and Teens

The Roosevelt City Police Department would like to take the opportunity to share some important information and resources for parents, that can be used to help keep children safe in the ever-changing environment of gaming technology and social media.  

Predators are aware of the fact that children are spending more time online and unfortunately exploit that. With the rapid advancement of technology and the proliferation of new apps and games programs that you may never consider to be hazardous, such as virtual reality platforms. Virtual reality apps have a number of features, including chat rooms and games. Users can create avatars of themselves and can portray whatever image they wish, meaning you have no way of knowing their true identity. Chats can be moved into a “private room”, out of sight of other users. This enhanced visual environment could potentially be used to encourage young people to share information or images without fully knowing who they’re them sharing with. As with all social media platforms, parents must engage with their teens and set ground rules on the use of screens. Tablets, phones, smart TVs, and gaming devices have more features than most of us realize, and young people are very savvy in using this technology, and often can conceal the nature of their activity if they wish.

The first step to helping your children practice internet safety is understanding it yourself. Find out what apps your children are using and learn how they work; this includes any apps they may use for online schooling as well as games and social media. Below is a list of popular apps that predators can use to gain access to children.

MeetMe 
A dating social media app that connects people based on location. Users are encouraged to meet in person. 
WhatsApp  
A messaging app that allows texts, video calls, photo sharing and voicemails with users worldwide.
Bumble 
Similar to Tinder but requires women to make the first contact. Kids and teens can create fake accounts and falsify their age. 
LiveMe 
A live-streaming app that uses geolocation to share videos. Users can earn “coins” to “pay” minors for photos. 
ASKfm 
Users can ask anonymous questions and is known for cyberbullying. 
Grindr 
A dating app geared toward the LGBTQ community based on user location. 
TikTok 
A popular with kids lets users create and share short videos. The app has “very limited privacy controls” and users can be exposed to cyberbullying and explicit content. 
Snapchat 
One of the most popular social media apps in the world, Snapchat lets users take and share photos and videos. The app also lets people see your location. 
Holla 
This self-proclaimed “addicting” video chat app lets users meet people in seconds.  
Skout 
A location-based dating app that is supposed to prohibit people under 17 from sharing private photos. However, kids can easily create an account with a different age. 
Kik 
Kids can bypass traditional text messaging features using this app. Kik gives users unlimited access to anyone, anywhere, anytime. 
Whisper 
An anonymous social network that lets users share secrets with strangers. It also shows users’ location so people can meet up. 
Hot or Not 
The app lets users rate profiles, check out people in their area and chat with strangers. The goal of the app is to hook up. Knowing which apps your child is using is only half the battle. Parents also need to know how to identify if their child might be the target of a predator. Grooming is the process during which a child sexual offender draws a child in by gaining their trust in order to abuse the child while maintaining secrecy. The offender may also groom parents by persuading them of his or her trustworthiness with children. Sexual Grooming happens in six stages.  

1)    Targeting a Victim
2)    Gaining Trust
3)    Filling a Need
4)    Isolating the Victim
5)    Sexual Contact
6)    Maintaining Control

Talking with your child is a powerful tool for their safety. Check in with your child regularly about how they’re doing, and what is going on in their life, especially online. If they’re not talking to you, they may be talking to someone else.

We want parents to be well-equipped to protect their children online. Attached is a list of websites with resources for online safety in the age of social media, including a link that can help parents choose the right software to help them monitor their child’s online activities.

Please do not hesitate to contact your local police department if you have any concerns about your child’s online activities or safety.

###

Resources

https://www.toptenreviews.com/best-parental-software http://www.digitalresponsibility.org/ https://www.commonsensemedia.org

http://www.netsmartz.org/Parents 

http://www.netsafeutah.org/ http://www.surfnetkids.com/resources/internet-safety-games/ 

http://ikeepsafe.org/ http://https://www.missingkids.org/ 

https://www.fosi.org/ 

http://www.cyberwise.org/ http://www.networkworld.com/article/2346606/microsoft-subnet/12-tips-for-safe-social-networking.html

http://www.webwise.ie/teachers/protecting-your-privacy-on-9-popular-social-networks/ https://www.staysafeonline.org/stay-safe-online/protect-your-personal-information/social-networks