I did read the article, but unlike you I have reading comprehension.

More recently, Harmel gave the victim a new phone without cellular data. However, the teenager was able to connect to Wi-Fi via the phone and used it to access the online game Among Us. The victim then seemingly used Among Us’ in-game chat function to contact another teenager in a lobby. The two exchanged social media details.

She contacted them in a lobby. It does not state that is where they met. They used the lobby chat to talk and exchange social media handles. She likely had to make new ones on this new phone to use. Nowhere does it state they did not know eachother before, but the fact that the teenager was able to contact her mother, as the article also states, implies to me that they had some sort of connection to her prior to the kidnapping. Perhaps I am wrong about that but nowhere does the article say otherwise.

You are very much crashing out right now btw. You don't seem to even realize that @isleepinahammock@lemmy.blahaj.zone is not me. And your reaction to me saying not to assume a kid in this situation would react logically is to get offended that I'm accusing you of "victim blaming". When all I'm doing is pointing out that kids don't always do things the way we might expect since they don't have the life experience we do.

Take a breath.