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BOUNTIFUL — Two Bountiful teenagers who claimed they were abducted, driven dozens of miles from home, then Duct-taped and beaten last month made the whole story up, police say.
Detectives with the Bountiful Police Department obtained video evidence that “clearly showed the alleged victims in a convenience store during the time period of their reported abduction,” Lt. Dave Edwards said Tuesday. When confronted with the video, the teens admitted to the lie, he said.
The two girls, ages 16 and 17, were having a sleepover on Sept. 9 when they snuck out to take a walk about 2 a.m., according to Bountiful police. The girls later called 911 and told the dispatcher they had been approached by two men who offered them a ride and then forced them into the vehicle when they said no.
The panicked 5-minute 911 call was released on Sept. 23 and the 16-year-old girl could be heard crying while she told dispatch that “they took us in their car.”
The teens were missing for 19 hours and were located on Main Street in Santaquin. The girls told police they had escaped from their abductors after the 16-year-old freed herself from her bonds while the SUV was parked.
In the surveillance video obtained by police, Edwards said the girls appear "obviously carefree." There was no one else with them and "no reason to believe they had been abducted," he said.
As for the injuries the girls suffered, Edwards said the girls admitted they were "self-inflicted." And what of the Duct tape they claimed to be bound with?
"They actually went and purchased Duct tape during the day and planned to make the report," Edwards said.
"They were very convincing to everyone," he said. "Up until we got this piece of information we had nothing to indicate that there wasn't a predator out here that was potentially going to take another child."
The police department is taking this case extremely seriously. Charges for filing a false police report will be screened by the Davis County Attorney’s Office, Edwards said.
Contributing: Andrew Adams
