Investigators Quietly Shift Their Search Strategy Following the Discovery of a Haunting Note Left Near the Last Place the Boy Was Seen…

“He has never left us,” the 15-year-old boy’s mother said through tears in an interview

Bailey Richards is a writer-reporter at PEOPLE. She has been working at PEOPLE since 2023 and interned with the brand in 2022. Her work has previously appeared in PAPER Magazine, TV Insider and other digital publications.

Thomas Medlin.Credit : Suffolk County Police Department

NEED TO KNOW

Thomas Medlin, 15, went missing after traveling into Manhattan from his Long Island, N.Y., school on Jan. 9
The teen’s mother believes he was heading into the city to see someone he met on Roblox
Thomas has been missing for two weeks, and remains missing as extreme weather is set to hit New York

A teenage boy has been missing for two weeks, since heading into Manhattan from his home in Long Island, N.Y. His mom believes he left to meet someone he met online through Roblox.

Fifteen-year-old Thomas Medlin of St. James, a hamlet in Suffolk County, went missing on Friday, Jan. 9, after traveling into Manhattan after school, according to a news release shared by the Suffolk County Police Department (SCPD) on Monday, Jan. 12.

Thomas left Stony Brook School that Friday at around 3:30 p.m. local time, and “ran” to the Stony Brook Long Island Rail Road station, where he seemingly caught a train into Manhattan, per the SCPD.

He was last seen at Grand Central Station around two hours later, about 5:30 p.m. local time, that same day, police said.

A photo shared by the SCPD shows the 15-year-old wearing a backpack and holding a large object while walking on what appears to be a N.Y.C. subway train platform.

Thomas Medlin.Suffolk County Police Department

The teen — who is 5 feet, 4 inches tall and weighs 130 lbs. — was last seen wearing a black jacket with red stripes, dark sweatpants with white stripes, a black backpack and glasses, according to police.

Police have since traced Thomas’ location to around Cherry and Rutgers Streets in Lower Manhattan, and later, Sands and Jay Street in Brooklyn, Long Island outlet News 12 reported, citing the teen’s family.

Thomas’ family has not heard from the teen since he left that Friday afternoon, according to News 12.

In a new interview published on Friday, Jan. 23, two weeks after Thomas first went missing, his mother, Eva Yan, told the outlet that she believes the teen was heading into the city to meet someone he became acquainted with through Roblox.

In a statement to PEOPLE, a spokesperson for the online gaming platform said, “We are deeply troubled by this incident and are working with law enforcement to support their investigation.”

“Roblox is built with safety at its core, including robust policies to help protect users that go beyond many other platforms,” the Roblox spokesperson continued. “We have filters designed to block the sharing of personal information and don’t allow user-to-user image or video sharing. While no system is perfect, our commitment to safety never ends, and we continue to evolve and strengthen our protections every day.

“Given this involves an ongoing investigation, we cannot comment further at this time.”

The SCPD did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for updates on Saturday, Jan. 24.

Thomas Medlin.Suffolk County Police Department

Yan also told News 12 that her son’s behavior is out of character. “He has never left us,” she said through tears.

“I just can’t believe why he left in the first place,” the teen’s father, James Medlin, told News 12.

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Yan also said that Thomas’ loved ones have been searching for him every day with organized search parties in both Long Island and Manhattan. They have been checking homeless shelters, and are particularly worried about the teen with the extreme weather that is set to hit New York in the coming days.

“Everyone loves him,” Yan said of her son, later adding, “We just want him to be safe.”

The SCPD has asked anyone with information about Thomas’ whereabouts to contact Fourth Squad Detectives at 631-854-8452 or call 911.