International Breaking News: Missing French Child Was Just a Facebook Hoax, Woman Arrested Suspected of "Psychological" Problems
Police in France have shifted their efforts from locating a missing two-year-old boy to arresting the individuals who made the whole thing up.
Two-year-old Chayson Basinio was reported missing April 11, the only problem was he didn't exist -- it was all a hoax. Police searched everywhere for the missing toddler. They even dredged a lake, but no sign of little Chayson. That's because there was no missing two-year-old.
The police went to Facebook to see if they could come up with any clues to the child's whereabouts. They found a profile for 20-year-old Rayane Basinio, Chayson's supposed father. This later turned out to be a fake profile with photos taken from another Facebook user's account.
"[The inquiry] was long and complicated, but we can now say that the young Chayson has never existed and nor have his father or mother. Sadly, this is a very modern-day story. Someone decided to create false Facebook accounts and took pictures from real accounts to feed the false accounts and make these people seem real," French prosecutor Eric Mazaud said.
Chayson was first reported missing by a woman claiming to be his great aunt. She said he had been missing for nearly a week. The woman claimed she last saw Chayson near a supermarket and pretended she didn't know where the parents were. That woman is now in police custody.
Her daughter, who is a minor, is accused with setting up the fake profiles on Facebook along with her cousin. The fake great aunt could face up to six months in prison and up to a $10,000 fine if she's convicted of reporting an imaginary crime or offense.
"We don't know why someone decided to make a false report. We are currently trying to work out a motive. Either that person has a psychological problem, or there were other purposes behind it, such as revenge," Mazaud said.
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