A Florida teen who claimed he’d been shot and abducted by four Hispanic men “completely made up” the story, investigators say.
Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods said that “there were an alarming amount of red flags initially,” but investigators plugged away at the case.
Authorities released an Amber Alert on Thursday night after Speight’s parents got a text from their son claiming he had been kidnapped by four men in a light-colored van, as CrimeOnline previously reported.
Investigators discovered the truck abandoned with its doors open and signs of a lone gunshot. Authorities launched a vast search including air support, ground searchers, and mounted units. However, they soon stated that the information and evidence gathered did not support the originally reported facts.
Part of that evidence came from reports that Speight had bought a bicycle and camping supplies at Walmart just before reporting he had been abducted.
“Caden simply rode away towards Williston while we feared the worst and my team worked tirelessly to solve this case,” Woods said.
“To maintain the deception, Caden, who had a gun with him from the start, decided to shoot himself in the leg, resulting in a non-life-threatening injury, just before appearing on the road where onlookers found him in Williston,” the sheriff said. “There is absolutely no possibility that Caden’s gunshot wound was inflicted by any sort of attacker.”
Woods mentioned that deputies are still gathering evidence to determine if the boy will face charges. In addition, he noted, Speight’s parents have not allowed him to speak with detectives.
