A massive search for a teenage boy stretched through the night, only for cops to find out he had staged the entire kidnapping drama himself.
The teen’s hoax plan included a self-inflicted firearm wound and pinning the blame on a group of Hispanic men.
Before he was busted, the boy’s sister begged for his safe return.
A teenage boy was busted for faking his own abduction in Florida
Image credits: Florida Department of Law Enforcement
Caden Speight, 17, managed to convince his family and law enforcement agents that four men, possibly Hispanic, had kidnapped him.
The MAGA hat-wearing teenager vanished in Dunnellon, north of Tampa, on September 25.
Image credits: WFTV Channel 9
After receiving a report of a firearm being discharged, cops believed Caden was the victim and could possibly be in great danger.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement had arrived at the scene of the firing and found Caden’s vehicle. But they found no sign of the teenager.
When the vehicle was inspected, they found evidence of a weapon having been fired.
The 17-year-old’s texts led his family to believe he was abducted by a group of Hispanic men
Image credits: Marion County Sheriff’s Office
Caden’s mother told cops that they received a text from him when he disappeared.
The message led the family and investigators to believe someone pulled the trigger on him, and he was abducted by four Hispanic men in a white van.
Officials issued a state-wide Amber Alert to find the missing teenager, who was last seen wearing a MAGA hat, t-shirt and jeans.
“Caden may be in the company of four unknown males, possibly Hispanic,” the Florida Department of Law Enforcement said.
He was described as a white male, weighing 150 pounds and standing six feet tall.
Image credits: Florida Department of Law Enforcement
“They may be traveling in a light-colored van. If located, DO NOT APPROACH. Contact law enforcement immediately,” the statement added.
While the search unfolded in full swing, Caden’s sister shared an emotional message on Facebook urging people to look for him.
“God I just want him home. I can’t sleep eat or do anything not knowing where he is and if he is safe,” the sibling wrote.
“Please don’t stop searching or looking,” she continued. “There is still little to no information on what happened or where he could be. I don’t understand why this has happened. Just bring him home.”
Officials issued a state-wide Amber Alert and launched a massive search for the teen
Image credits: FOX 35 Orlando
A reward of $5,000 was offered by the Uvalde Foundation for Kids to anyone who could find the boy.
The day after he disappeared, officials revealed he was “alive and well” and had cooked up the entire abduction story.
Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods said the abduction was a “hoax,” and they had found “an alarming amount of red flags” early on.
Witnesses also gave accounts that contradicted Caden’s story.
Image credits: FOX 35 Orlando
“Initial details that Caden texted to his family were proven to be false – completely made up,” Billy said. “We did find evidence of a single g*****t where Caden left his truck. However, his claims that he had been sh** and abducted were quickly disproven.”
Officials traced his steps before his disappearance and found that he had bought a bicycle, a tent, and camping supplies before his disappearing act.
The boy had a firearm with him as well.
The teenager “simply rode away towards Williston while the rest of us were left to think the worst, and my team was working in overdrive to solve this case,” Billy said.
Investigators found “an alarming amount of red flags” early on, with witness statements contradicting Caden’s story
Image credits: WFTV Channel 9
The sheriff confirmed that the teenage boy fired the weapon at himself for his fake abduction plot.
“To continue the ruse, Caden, who had a hand*** with him since the beginning of all of this, chose to sh*** himself in the leg,” Billy said.
“There is zero chance that Caden’s g*****t wound came from any type of assailant,” he continued.
Caden did not immediately face charges, and his parents refused to let him speak to officials, according to reports.
Caden bought a bicycle, a tent, and camping supplies before his disappearing act
“Many of you have asked, ‘Will Caden be facing any charges?’” the sheriff said. “‘What about the taxpayer cost of this large-scale investigation and search?’”
“I can tell you those items are not off the table at this point,” he added.
Netizens tsk-tsked over the teen’s hoax kidnapping, with one saying, “Some people really really want to be the victim.”
“And guess what, they haven’t charged him,” said another.
One wrote, “I saw this coming the minute they announced he was missing! Sounded very suspicious from the git go (as they say down south).”
Social media users had strong reactions to the teenager faking his own abduction
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