ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – A woman who sent text messages to her family claiming she had been abducted was charged Sunday afternoon with making a false police report after she was found unharmed at an acquaintance's house.
Debra Robertson, 28, also had an outstanding felony warrant for violating the terms of her probation from a forgery conviction.
"It was a lie," said Sgt. Matt Rock, a spokesman for the St. Joseph Police Department. "She painted a picture of several suspects that were holding her against her will that were transporting her to different locations. All the while she was here in town."
Robertson went missing Friday after dropping her three children off at a baby-sitter's home.
The police search began Saturday after she began sending text messages to her sister, reporting she was with people she didn't know in a red sports utility vehicle with Virginia license plates and on her way to Virginia.
Rock said officers found Robertson around 1 p.m. Sunday in St. Joseph after cell phone providers were able to triangulate her position to within 16 meters. She was being questioned Sunday afternoon.
"Fortunately, it's over," Rock said. "I'm a lot happier with the end result of it being a hoax than if it was a true call."
But he said he was disappointed the case tied up resources, noting officers had been called in on their days off. The department also sought help from the FBI and law enforcement officers from several other jurisdictions.
There was no phone listing for Robertson in St. Joseph, and Rock said he was unable to release the names of her family members. He said it was unknown whether she had sought legal council.
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