A since-deleted Facebook that spread widely on Jan. 27 about an apparent abduction from a Marcus Drive parking lot turned out to be mistaken, Greater Sudbury Police have told Sudbury.com.
The post was made Monday evening. Sudbury.com has chosen not to release the name of the person who shared the post. An image of the post appears below.
In the post, the person who shared it did so on behalf of another person (her daughter based on information contained in the comment thread under the post) who witnessed the incident in a parking lot on Marcus Drive.
"Tonight ... witnessed 2 bad men from out of town abducting three young girls in a van in a #Sudbury parking lot. She heard their conversations," the post reads. "She saw the men physically assault one of the girls and she called the police immediately with the vehicles' (sic) licence plate number and everyone's descriptions."
When contacted by Sudbury.com, Greater Sudbury Police confirmed that a report had been received on Monday evening and an officer was immediately dispatched, police spokesperson Kaitlyn Dunn said.
Sudbury.com has received additional information** from police about the incident. Dunn said after receiving the report, officers were dispatched to scene. There, they reviewed video surveillance footage.
Later, an officer located the vehicle in question, using the vehicle description and licence plate information provided by the caller. Dunn said the officer spoke with the occupants of the vehicle, including the children, who were not in any distress, the officer reported.
Based on that interaction, police concluded no abduction or assault had occurred.
**GSPS spokesperson Kaitlyn Dunn provided additional information on Jan. 29 regarding the incident. The story has been updated to reflect the new information received.
