Full Notification

During the past week, investigators from the Riverside County Sheriff Department’s Thermal Station investigated two separate incidents. One incident involved a reported child abduction attempt. The other involved a reported kidnapping of a child. Both of the incidents were reported by two groups of children ranging in age from 7 to 12 years old. All of the children attend school within the Coachella Valley Unified School District.

Investigators from the Thermal Station were immediately assigned to thoroughly investigate both reported incidents. On Friday October 3, 2014, after completing multiple interviews and exhausting numerous work hours, investigators concluded the children fabricated these reports and neither incident occurred.

The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department is dedicated to protecting the communities we serve and encourage parents to educate their children on safety and not to speak with strangers. We would also like to remind parents on the importance of having children speak truthfully when reporting incidents to law enforcement.