On Wednesday, March 23, 2016, the Owensboro Police Department observed a message directed to the department facebook page from a concerned citizen. The message contained a screenshot of a post originating from the facebook account of Christa Garrett. The post from Garrett claimed that while she was shopping at Sam’s Club, 5240 Frederica Street, an unknown male attempted to abduct her child from her shopping cart.
The Owensboro Police Department immediately began an investigation into this serious claim and has been able to confirm there was never an official report to law enforcement of an attempted abduction at Sam’s Club. Furthermore, after reviewing video surveillance from the store, it has been determined that the incident did not occur.
It is unfortunate that some people attempt to use social media to incite moral panic by making false claims of child abductions and other horrendous crimes. Falsely accusing any person or any group of such heinous acts is completely unacceptable.
Beware! Not everything you read on Facebook or other social media outlets is true; therefore, be very selective in what you repost.
