Investigators say a Discord connection led to a motel rescue in Los Angeles County.
LOS ANGELES, CA — Federal prosecutors say an 18-year-old Pennsylvania man flew to Los Angeles County to meet a girl who had just turned 13 after months of online grooming that included sexual demands and self-harm, before authorities rescued her from a motel room.
Matthew Edward Pysher of Bangor, Pennsylvania, was arrested late Friday in Castaic and charged in a federal criminal complaint with traveling with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, prosecutors said. The case has drawn attention from local and federal officials because investigators say the online abuse followed a pattern they associate with a violent internet subculture that targets vulnerable children. Authorities said the girl was recovered safely, and investigators described the rescue as a fast-moving response that began after the child’s mother alerted the FBI.
According to federal court filings, investigators believe Pysher began communicating with the girl in late 2025 on Discord, a social platform where users can message directly and join servers built around common interests. Prosecutors said the child encountered him in a server related to mental health, and that the contact escalated into private messages. From at least December 2025 through Feb. 20, authorities said, the man pressured the girl to send sexually explicit images and also urged her to send images of self-harm. Officials said the mother contacted the FBI on Feb. 10 after she became concerned her daughter was being encouraged to hurt herself by someone the girl knew as “Matthew.”
Prosecutors said the situation became more urgent on Feb. 20, when Pysher traveled to the Los Angeles area to meet the child in person. Court filings say he met her near her home and took her to a motel in Castaic, in the Santa Clarita Valley area of Los Angeles County. When law enforcement arrived at the room, they encountered the man and the girl together, prosecutors said. Authorities said investigators found condoms, lubricant, a knife, razor blades and bloody tissues in the room, along with a boarding pass showing a flight from Philadelphia to Los Angeles. Investigators also found a faraday bag near his cellphone, which authorities described as an item commonly used to block electronic signals.
Officials said the girl told investigators she and Pysher engaged in sexual conduct and that he used a knife to repeatedly cut her. In a news conference account described by local officials, prosecutors said the child also reported being choked, and court records described a plan to die by suicide later that day. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli called the allegations “chilling,” and said the case reflected how quickly online contact can turn into real-world harm. Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert G. Luna credited what he called swift coordination among agencies and the mother’s quick report, saying the child was recovered safely and further harm was prevented.
Federal investigators said they believe the alleged conduct aligns with what they describe as nihilistic violent extremist ideology, a label authorities use for a loose online trend they say encourages cruelty, fear and violence for its own sake. Prosecutors said a review of the girl’s smartphone and the suspect’s online activity led investigators to believe he was associated with that ideology. In the federal complaint, authorities described how such actors can use social media to groom minors, share child sexual abuse material and extort victims into increasingly dangerous demands. Officials say the demands can include self-mutilation, in-person sexual acts, threats of suicide or murder and, in some cases, harm to animals or others. Investigators said they view children and teens dealing with mental health struggles as especially at risk.
Authorities also pointed to the online network known as 764, which federal officials have described in other cases as a group whose members push coercion and exploitation and sometimes tie their actions to broader, anti-society aims. In recent months, the Justice Department has announced major federal cases targeting people it says are linked to 764 and related online communities, including racketeering and child exploitation charges brought against alleged leaders. Officials say those investigations have involved victims across state lines and, in some cases, contacts and crimes that begin online and then move into physical threats or violence. In the Castaic case, prosecutors said the alleged travel from Pennsylvania to California, combined with the reported sexual conduct, formed the basis for the federal charge.
The charge Pysher faces, travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, carries a statutory maximum sentence of up to 30 years in federal prison if he is convicted. Prosecutors said he was expected to make his initial court appearance in federal court in downtown Los Angeles on Monday. The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, which includes multiple agencies, prosecutors said. Two assistant U.S. attorneys, including one from the Justice Department’s National Security Division, are assigned to the case, reflecting how officials say the investigation touches both child exploitation and broader concerns about violent online networks.
Officials emphasized that the allegations in the criminal complaint are not proof of guilt. A complaint contains accusations used to establish probable cause, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Still, authorities said they expect the investigation to continue as agents review digital evidence and seek to understand whether the suspect contacted or harmed other victims. FBI officials said cases like this often involve extensive message histories, files shared across platforms and attempts to evade detection. Local and federal officials said the priority in the initial hours was finding the child and stopping further injury, then preserving evidence from devices and the motel room.
By late Monday, authorities said the girl had been recovered safely and the suspect was in custody on the federal complaint. Investigators have not publicly described any additional charges, but court proceedings were expected to determine whether Pysher remains jailed as the case moves forward. Prosecutors said the next milestones include the initial appearance and later hearings that could address detention and a possible indictment. The investigation remains active, and officials said they will continue to assess digital records and any potential additional victims.
Author note: Last updated February 23, 2026.