A 17-year-old Florida teen has been accused of faking his own kidnapping and shooting himself in the leg to make the story believable. Caden Speight disappeared on September 25, prompting a large-scale search involving helicopters and an Amber Alert.
Speight's mother told police she received a text claiming four Hispanic men had shot him and bundled him into a white van. The teen was seen wearing a red "MAGA" hat before his disappearance. His car was found near Marion County Airport, 80 miles from Orlando.
He was later found "alive and well" on September 26. Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods now says the abduction was a hoax. In a social media video, Woods said Speight "simply rode away towards Williston while the rest of us were left to think the worst."
To maintain the ruse, Speight shot himself in the leg with a handgun he had from the start. Woods stated, "There is zero chance that Caden's gunshot wound came from any type of assailant." An investigation found Speight had purchased a bicycle, tent, and camping supplies before disappearing.
Witnesses disputed Speight's version of events, and police found evidence of a single gunshot near his car. The sheriff has not ruled out charges, saying, "Those items are not off the table at this point." The search involved multiple agencies and cost thousands of dollars.
