Layton mom pleads for 13-year-old son’s safe return - KSLTV

LAYTON, Utah — A parent pleaded Tuesday nighttime for the harmless instrumentality of her teenage lad pursuing a kidnapping that launched an Amber Alert.

On Tuesday afternoon, Layton City Police Department launched the alert to find 13-year-old Evan McConney, whom detectives said was lured distant by 26-year-old fishy Aaron Zemen of Arizona.

According to investigators, McConney exchanged messages with Zemen—who had seemingly been going by the fake sanction of Hunter Fox—through an Oculus virtual world instrumentality connected Monday and past near his location earlier midnight Monday nighttime to instrumentality disconnected with Zemen.

The boy’s mom, Heather McConney, told KSL-TV the concern began weeks earlier erstwhile she discovered her lad had been communicating with a alien via the online crippled Roblox.

“I opened his telephone up, and that’s benignant of wherever I stumbled upon conversations, and it conscionable benignant of turned into a rabbit hole,” the parent explained. “We took each means distant that we knew.”

McConney said her household handed implicit the instrumentality to Layton Police detectives, and investigators were looking into who the alien was. Still, she said she did not judge her lad was astatine immoderate hazard of being lured distant by the man.

She said the household had conscionable returned location from a vacation abrogation Monday earlier she and different household members woke up Tuesday greeting to observe Evan was gone.

“They were each successful a large place, and this idiosyncratic convinced him it was clip to go,” said household person Beth Cooper.

McConney grew affectional erstwhile talking astir her lad leaving with the man.

“I don’t recognize what this idiosyncratic had connected my son, what grasp helium had connected him that convinced him to conscionable locomotion away,” she said arsenic she lowered her caput to her hands and sobbed.

Neither the household nor detectives went into specifics of what was allegedly discussed betwixt the 13-year-old lad and Zemen.

UPDATE from Layton Police: Suspect identified arsenic 26-year-old Aaron Zemen of Arizona. Suspect conveyance said to beryllium a achromatic Toyota Avalon with harm to the beforehand grill and impermanent Arizona tag 22225NP

— Andrew Adams (@AndrewAdamsKSL) December 28, 2022

“The connection they’d had was of a quality that is precise concerning to us,” explained Lt. Travis Lyman of Layton Police.

Late Tuesday, constabulary officially identified the fishy arsenic Zemen, who goes by the alias Tadashi Kojima. They said helium was driving a achromatic 1998 Toyota Avalon with harm to the beforehand grill and a impermanent Arizona tag of 22225NP. Investigators antecedently said the 2 whitethorn beryllium traveling to Arizona oregon perchance Texas.

They urged anyone with accusation to interaction Layton City Police Department.

McConney said she didn’t privation to talk the words she had for the alien who took her boy, but she had a connection for her son.

“Nobody’s huffy astatine you,” McConney expressed. “We get it. We understand. We’re your family. We’re not going anywhere. We’ll ever beryllium present for you nary substance what. Please travel home.”