Two weeks after 15-year-old Thomas Medlin fled his Long Island boarding school and disappeared in New York City, frustration inside his family has reached a breaking point. As investigators continue to search for the missing teen, his relatives are publicly criticizing both the police handling the case and a new statement from Roblox, the online gaming platform at the center of speculation about his final movements. With no confirmed sightings, no breakthroughs, and no clear explanations, tensions surrounding the case have escalated into a public dispute, adding another layer of uncertainty to an already troubling disappearance.

Thomas vanished on January 9 after leaving the Stony Brook School at approximately 3:30 p.m. Surveillance footage later captured him arriving at Grand Central Terminal around 5:30 p.m. Investigators say they traced him from Lower Manhattan into Brooklyn, but no images or details from those later locations have been released to the public. Since then, there has been no verified contact, no communication with family or friends, and no trace strong enough to push the investigation forward.

For the Medlin family, the lack of information is unbearable. In multiple statements, they have described the investigation as slow, disorganized, and lacking urgency. They say communication with law enforcement has been inconsistent and that critical details—especially those related to Thomas’s online activity—have not been pursued aggressively enough.

“This is not a case where you can afford to lose a day,” one family member said. “But we feel like we’ve lost two weeks.”

According to the family, Thomas had reportedly been interacting with someone on Roblox, a platform widely used by children and teenagers. While Roblox has become central to media discussions surrounding the disappearance, the family insists that law enforcement initially downplayed the importance of investigating his digital communications.

The situation intensified when Roblox issued a new statement addressing the case. The company claimed it had investigated Thomas’s activity on the platform and found no evidence that he exchanged personal information, communicated outside typical gameplay, or engaged in conversations that would suggest he was lured off-platform. Roblox also denied that any user attempted to direct Thomas to another messaging service. The company added that it is assisting police.

But Thomas’s family strongly disputes those claims, calling Roblox’s statement premature and incomplete. They say the company did not provide them with detailed logs, and they question whether the review was thorough enough to be meaningful. They argue that the platform should release full communication history—not summaries—so investigators and family members can examine them independently.

To the Medlins, the statement feels more like reputation management than cooperation. “It reads like they’re protecting themselves, not helping us,” a family member said. “They say they checked, but they don’t show the work. How are we supposed to trust that?”

Law enforcement has not publicly commented on Roblox’s findings, nor have they confirmed whether investigators have independently accessed the teen’s account records. This silence has fueled the family’s frustration, who feel stuck between two institutions offering limited information but definitive conclusions.

Meanwhile, police have provided little public detail about the ongoing search. Authorities say they traced Thomas’s movements after Grand Central into Lower Manhattan and then to Brooklyn, but they have not disclosed timestamps, precise locations, or whether the movements were based on surveillance footage, metro card activity, phone data, or other digital signals. The lack of transparency has led to speculation, which the family says could have been avoided with clearer communication.

The Medlins are particularly alarmed that—despite two weeks passing—they say they still do not know whether police believe Thomas met anyone after arriving in the city or whether investigators have ruled out foul play. Instead, they describe receiving vague answers and long periods without updates.

Community members have joined the search, distributing flyers, sharing social media posts, and organizing informal search efforts. But without verified sightings or new leads, volunteers say the lack of information makes coordinated action extremely difficult.

The missing teen’s physical description remains critical: Thomas is 5 feet 4 inches tall, weighs approximately 130 pounds, and was last seen wearing a black jacket with red stripes, dark sweatpants with white stripes, glasses, and a black backpack. These details have been widely circulated, though none have produced confirmed sightings.

Digital safety experts following the case say the dispute between the family, law enforcement, and Roblox underscores a broader issue: the difficulty of investigating online interactions involving minors. While platforms like Roblox have extensive safety tools, private interactions may still occur in ways not easily visible to parents or even platform moderators. Experts emphasize that a platform clearing itself with a single statement does not necessarily resolve questions about how a minor formed online connections.

For the family, unanswered questions continue to mount. They want to know whether Thomas communicated with anyone outside Roblox. Whether he had recent conversations that may have influenced his decision to leave school. Whether police checked his devices thoroughly. And whether any digital traces in Manhattan or Brooklyn produced identifiable leads.

In their view, too many of these questions remain unanswered—and too much time has passed without firm conclusions.

At the same time, police caution that not every detail can be released publicly during an active investigation. They emphasize that publicizing certain findings too early could compromise leads or allow individuals connected to the case to modify their behavior. Still, they assure the community that all resources needed for the investigation are being used.

The divide between these positions—family demanding more information, authorities demanding patience—has resulted in a widening rift.

Roblox’s statement has intensified that rift. While the company insists no off-platform communication occurred, the family rejects the claim outright, believing that the platform cannot conclude such information without a more transparent data release. They also argue that Roblox’s assurance does nothing to explain why Thomas traveled into New York City shortly after interacting with people online.

While there is no confirmation that the disappearance is connected to Roblox, the timing and circumstances have made the platform a focal point—something the family believes Roblox should treat with more seriousness, not corporate distance.

Despite rising tensions, the primary concern remains locating Thomas. Police continue to search, reviewing surveillance, analyzing digital records, and interviewing individuals connected to the teen. Authorities encourage the public to remain alert and report any possible sightings or information.

As the case enters its third week, the Medlin family says they feel no closer to understanding what happened—or where Thomas might be now. Their frustration reflects not only fear for a missing child but also the uncertainty created by conflicting statements, withheld details, and institutional caution.

For now, there is still no conclusion—only questions, tension, and the urgent hope that new information will emerge soon.