A posting on Facebook stirred up the community and sent Hinesville Police Officers chasing after a possible child abductor.
According to City of Hinesville PR Manager Whitney Morris-Reed HPD officers investigated claims of suspicious activity and a child abduction from the evening or Nov. 20 into the morning of Nov. 21.
At approximately 9:30 p.m. Nov. 20, Star Cpl. James Williams responded to a call of suspicious activity and potential child abduction in Westridge Mobile Home Park.
Additional officers from HPD arrived on scene and proceeded to canvas the area, including interviewing residents, to look for a vehicle described in a Facebook post. The vehicle was described as an older light blue cargo van with a lock on the rear door.
According to the release the neighbors reported that all the children in their area were accounted for. Police were shown the posting made on Facebook describing the vehicle and stating that a child had gone missing in its vicinity and asked locals to keep an eye out for it.
Investigators discovered that the Facebook post originated in the state of Louisiana. It had been posted in at least three separate profiles and by the time HPD began investigating the post had been seen and shared thousands of times across many states and cities, including Hinesville.
Morris-Reed said that investigators also determined that an Amber Alert had not been issued in the surrounding areas or states in response to the conditions set by the Facebook post in question.
Over the course of the evening, as HPD expanded their search area for suspicious activity, officers did not find evidence of the abduction of a child or children in Hinesville. At this time, HPD is currently investigating all aspects of this case before making the determination on the culpability of those involved in the reports.
The Hinesville Police Department would also like to remind the community that although this situation was resolved favorably, residents should be vigilant in monitoring their children and teens. Additionally, if you see suspicious activity, please report it to the Hinesville Police Department as quickly as possible by calling 912.368.8211.