Daijiworld Media Network – Los Angeles
Los Angeles, Feb 24: Federal and local law enforcement agencies rescued a 13-year-old girl who was allegedly lured to a motel room in California by an 18-year-old Pennsylvania man she met online, officials said Monday.
The accused, identified as Matthew Edward Pysher of Bangor, Pennsylvania, was arrested Friday night at a motel in Castaic, north of Los Angeles. Authorities said he had been in contact with the minor for nearly three months before arranging to meet her.
Officials stated that Pysher is allegedly linked to Nihilistic Violent Extremism (NVE), an online ideology associated with child exploitation. He has been charged with travelling with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct.
Bill Essayli, First Assistant U.S. Attorney for Central California, described the case as “chilling,” warning parents about online predators.
“If your children have access to use the internet, sadistic predators may have access to your kids,” Essayli said.
According to prosecutors, Pysher allegedly befriended the girl using the online handle “Piano Man” while she was active in a Discord group related to mental health issues. Authorities said he flew from Philadelphia to California with the alleged intent to engage in criminal sexual activity and to encourage self-harm.
Essayli told reporters that the victim informed law enforcement that the suspect had engaged in sexual conduct with her, used a knife to cut her repeatedly and choked her to the point where she was unable to speak.
The girl’s mother reportedly contacted the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on February 10 after learning that her daughter was being encouraged to harm herself by a man she met on a Discord server. Authorities were already investigating when the girl ran away to meet the suspect.
The California Highway Patrol was the first agency to reach the pair at the motel.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna praised the officers involved. “They literally saved this young lady’s life,” he said.
Officials said Pysher is believed to be associated with Nihilistic Violent Extremism, also referred to as “764,” based on the first three digits of a Texas ZIP code where the movement reportedly originated. Authorities described the ideology as decentralized and particularly dangerous due to its online reach.
Akil Davis, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office, said extremists tied to the movement “prey on children and talk them into compromising sex acts and self-mutilation.”
Law enforcement agencies have warned that NVE-related predators often target young people on gaming and social platforms such as Discord.
Pysher was scheduled to appear in court Monday afternoon. His legal representation has not publicly commented on the charges.
Federal authorities have urged parents to closely monitor their children’s online activity, warning that the decentralized and ideological nature of such movements makes them difficult to combat.