Viswa Vanapalli
When a teenager suddenly vanished from his bedroom during summer vacation, his worried parents tried to understand what exactly happened. As it would turn out, Aubrey Peal, then a 14-year-old, was manipulated into leaving with a then 29-year-old Jason St. Aubin, who lived in another state altogether. Investigation Discovery’s ‘Devil in the Web: Dangerous Game’ chronicles the work that went into establishing the connection between Aubrey and Jason and what went down after that. So, if you’re wondering if Jason was brought to justice, we’ve got you covered.
Who is Jason St. Aubin?
Aubrey’s parents, John and Alicia, rushed back home on August 1, 2018, upon realizing their son was missing. Kimberly, his younger sister, was the last to see him the previous night. At the time, they noticed that Aubrey’s phone, wallet, charger, and backpack were also missing. Investigation revealed that the teenager was active on Discord, a messaging app primarily used by gamers.
While the police kept searching, Aubrey turned up at a fire station in Lake of Egypt, Illinois, where he turned himself in. The authorities soon learned that he had been talking to Jason St. Aubin on Discord and was at his place during the time he was missing. Back then, Jason was 29 and worked at a big box store. He lived in Creal Springs with his 30-year-old roommate, Juan Andrade.
A search warrant for Jason’s Discord account showed thousands of messages exchanged between himself and Aubrey. As per the show, it seemed like Jason was in love with the teenager and manipulated him into leaving his house. At one point, Jason even threatened to kill himself if Aubrey didn’t come. During an interview, Jason claimed that he initially thought Aubrey was 20 years old.
However, according to the show, Jason also talked about visiting Aubrey’s father’s Facebook account, which had several pictures and indicators regarding Aubrey’s age. Furthermore, since Jason didn’t have a car or a driver’s license, he paid Juan some money to take him to Mississippi, where Aubrey stayed with his parents. Juan’s mother later stated that her son believed they were picking up a 20-year-old man who wanted to get away from an abusive relationship.
According to the mother, Juan never spoke to Aubrey before the incident and that it was Jason alone. Eventually, it came to light that around 3 AM on August 1, 2018, the two men drove down and waited close to Aubrey’s place, later taking him back to their home. During the interview, Jason stated that Aubrey was scared. Later on, as per the show, Jason drove the teenager down to the fire station and left him there after Juan said Aubrey couldn’t stay there anymore because of the media attention. By then, there were news reports of the 14-year-old going missing.
Where is Jason St. Aubin Today?
Jason and Juan were arrested days after Aubrey was found safe. It was stated on the show that Juan agreed to cooperate with the authorities and was sentenced to time served after being convicted of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. In January 2020, Jason pleaded guilty to the charge of kidnapping a minor and was sentenced to serve 12 years behind bars. Prison records indicate that he remains incarcerated at Issaquena County Correctional in Mayersville, Mississippi. Jason could tentatively be released in August 2030.
Read More: Where is Aubrey Peal Now?
