Teen Who Faked Own Abduction, Lied To Police, To Face Charges
ECORSE (WWJ) - She made the whole thing up and will face charges.
Authorities say 18-year-old Hayley Turner, who claimed she was abducted last Thursday night in Monroe County and held hostage for 16 hours, concocted a story and lied to police.
Ecorse Detective Lt. Gregory Blade said he didn't believe the teen from the start; and when he interviewed her on Saturday, it just didn't add up.
"During the interview there were a lot of questions that couldn't be answered, and I didn't think the young lady was being very truthful with me during my investigation," Blade told reporters as a Monday morning news conference.
"At one point in the interview she told me, 'Wait; I'm confused.' And I just figured if you're telling the truth, you don't get confused about telling the truth. You can tell the truth every day, all day."
Blade said that when they began checking into the dog she was carrying, and Turner's tale of how it was given to her while she was held hostage, the teen's story fell apart.
"One of the things she stated was that they stopped and went inside of a house and got this puppy and gave it to her," said Blade. "It was determined later that she wasn't telling the truth."
Blade said Turner confessed to the lie at the Monroe County Sheriff's Office on Sunday; and both that agency and Ecorse police will file charges against her for filing a false police report.
Thousands of dollars in manpower were wasted on searching for her and her alleged kidnapper, and police hope to recoup those funds.
"My frustration level was very high because we are a cash-strapped city," said Ecorse Police Chief Mike Moore. "We can't really afford to spend any dollars unnecessarily and this cost us quite a bit of money to undertake this investigation."
Moore said investigators do not believe Turner acted alone; and whomever else was involved could also be charged in the case. "At no time was she without a friend," he said.
A response from the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office is expected within a week.
Following the murder of a teen girl in Armada last month, Turner's disappearance shook the community.
Turner was reported missing around 10 p.m. Aug. 7, in the area of Dean and Crabb roads, just west of Telegraph Road in Bedford Township.
Police said she'd just left a video store when she called her friend to say she spotted a man laying in a ditch at Dean and Crabb roads and was going to check it out.
"Seconds later, Hayley told her friend 'He has a gun' and the phone was disconnected," Malone said.
The friend called Turner's father, who arrived on the scene within minutes.
"Mr. Turner found Hayley's vehicle running and unoccupied," Malone said. "Minutes later several officers arrived on scene." The teen was nowhere to be found.
Deputies started canvassing the neighborhood, asking residents in they noticed anything suspicious in the area.
Police received dozens of tips from the public; and several local police departments, the county sheriff's office, Toledo police, Michigan State Police and the FBI were all involved in the search.
Turner reappeared in Ecorse Friday afternoon. A resident spotted her standing at a corner and called 911 when the teen claimed she'd jumped from a moving vehicle at 19th Street and Salliotte, near Outer Drive.
Moore said Turner was never in any physical danger.
Police did not disclose a possible a possible motive for the lie.
