Gainesville officers investigating after 12-year-old claims she was abducted from her home

Gainesville, Ga. — Gainesville police are investigating after a 12-year-old girl claimed she was kidnapped from her home by a man in a mask.

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Police said they got a call around 7 p.m. on June 7 about a runaway on BuenaVista Circle.

The 911 caller said her sister had ran away from home about 20 minutes before. The child left a note behind.

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A neighbor said they had just seen her walking down the road. Officers from Gainesville Police and the Hall County Sheriff’s Office started looking for her.

While officers were at the scene, family members said they found the child on Atlanta Highway and took her home.

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The child proceeded to tell police that she was abducted from her home while she was in the garage. She said someone came up from behind her, put their hand over her mouth and pulled her into a white, four-door vehicle.

The child said her alleged abductor, a white man in all black wearing a mask, drove her to a gas station and told her to go in and buy glasses and a hat. She then said the man took her to another store but she couldn’t remember which one.

Police went door to door and gathered any surveillance video they could. They also conducted a forensic interview on the child.

They also canvassed Atlanta Highway.

“During this canvas police found multiple videos of the juvenile, who did not appear to be in distress in the area,” police said. “After an exhaustive investigation, over 160-man hours spent in two days, investigators have not been able to find any evidence to corroborate the abduction claims. In fact, all the evidence tends to disprove the allegations.”

The mental health team for the Gainesville Police Department is working with the family and will interview the child again.

“Cases of this nature are difficult to navigate, ensuring factual and correct information is released at the right time,” officers said.

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