That Missing Baby That Never Was

Missing-child tale was ploy to lure ex-boyfriend

Miami police say a two-day search for a 6-month-old boy was a hoax.

"I don't even know if he's dead or alive," Megan McCormic told police. She described her baby as having one tooth, a mohawk haircut, and a fake tattoo, so it probably seemed reasonable to police why the child may have run/crawled away if it had not been abducted.

Authorities say 22-year-old Meagan McCormic told officers that her child, Riley Archer Buchness, disappeared earlier this week with a nanny. Turns out, she never had a child.

Police say McCormic had a miscarriage six months ago, and the nanny never existed. She was charged Friday with making a false report of a crime, a misdemeanor.

McCormic was apparently just trying to lure back an ex-boyfriend with her tale of an abducted child, because nothing charms a guy around the holidays more than a big gift-wrapped box of "CRAZY."

Authorities had issued an Amber Alert, and as many as 20 detectives worked the case throughout Christmas Eve and Christmas. Miami police spokesman Willie Moreno said the incident was a terrible misuse of the department's resources.

McCormic did not immediately have an attorney.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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