A 6-month-old boy whose mother reported him missing two days ago doesn't actually exist, Miami police said Friday.
Megan McCormic, 22, was arrested for supplying false information to police for a crime occurred, a misdemeanor, according to the Miami Herald.
McCormic admitted that she invented the child, whom she called Riley Archer Buchness, to lure ex-boyfriend John Buchness to Miami to meet his supposed son. She claimed her infant son had a mohawk and a tattoo.
She supplied police with a picture they believe was taken from the Internet, the Herald reported.
McCormic told police her son had disappeared on Tuesday with a nanny named Camille. McCormic has no children, but did miscarry six months ago, police said, according to the Herald.
Police want McCormic to pay for the resources that were used to locate the nonexistent child. Nearly 20 detectives worked the case throughout all of Christmas Eve and Christmas.
''We're always on call. We're always here,'' Miami police spokesman Willie Moreno told the Herald. "But what's really nasty about it was the tremendous manpower and hours she used."
He told the newspaper detectives became suspicious of McCormic's story because of inconsistencies in her story. She admitted to lying to the police around 6 a.m. Friday, police said.
"It was not just telling a little white lie to her boyfriend," Moreno told the Herald. "Those resources could have been used for someone in real need."
It was unclear Friday whether McCormic had an attorney.
Click here to read more on this story from the Miami Herald.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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