Authorities Say Girl's Attempted Kidnapping Claim Was A Lie
YPSILANTI TWP. (WWJ) - She made it all up.
That's what the Washtenaw County Sheriff's officials are now saying about a 7-year-old girl who claimed a stranger attempted to abduct her Tuesday night.
Spokesman Derrick Jackson says officers were investigating the Ypsilanti Township girl's terrifying tale about being chased down the street by an unknown man when the truth came out.
"They found several inconsistencies within the story, and that just raised a few concerns," said Jackson. "But in the process they also located a neighbor who was out in the yard around the time that the alleged incident took place."
Jackson said that neighbor saw nothing, and the girls' parents now believe nothing happened.
The child had said she was walking home from a friend's house, just before 8 p.m., when a middle-aged white man — with long brown hair and a long brown beard — approached her, asked is she wanted some candy and the offered her a balloon. She said that's when she ran away and the man tried to grab her.
"I think now we know that nothing happened, but, of course, you know, to not act upon it or not to believe a young person just because of their age .... you know, that wouldn't have been the right thing to do either," he said.
Why would the girl lie? Jackson said that's still unclear.
