Breana Harmon Talbott.
Police now believe a kidnapping and sexual assault case that rattled the small North Texas town of Denison earlier this month was a hoax.
Breana Harmon Talbott, 18, confessed to investigators Tuesday night and admitted she staged the attack. She also admitted the injuries to her body were self-inflicted, the Denison Police Department said.
The story made headlines after Talbott’s worried fiancé reported her missing on March 8. He told FOX 4 he asked a neighbor to check on her and that neighbor found her keys and a shoe on the ground outside her apartment.
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Police got involved with the search. Dogs and officer were out searching until someone from a nearby church called to report that a woman had disrupted their service to ask for help. She was wearing only her shirt, bra and underwear.
"She was in bad shape. She was bleeding. They had to bring some sheets to cover her up and try to calm her down," said Saul Marquez, the pastor of the New Creation Church. "As a church, we're here for a reason. It's a good thing she found some refuge here."
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According to police, Talbott’s told witnesses at the church that she had been kidnapped and sexually assaulted in the woods behind the church. She told detectives three black males wearing ski masks had kidnapped her near her vehicle outside her apartment. She said they took her in a black SUV to a wooded area where one suspect held her down while the other two raped her.
“The case quickly gathered regional attention due to the severity of the alleged crime and rumors quickly begin to spin out of control through social media. Almost immediately, Talbott's story and allegations began to unravel. Within only a day or two, detectives had doubts as to most of Talbott's allegations,” Denison Police Chief Jay Burch said.
Police are now closing the case. They believe Talbott caused her own injuries and staged the whole incident. There was also no medical evidence of a sexual assault.
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