Couple Lied About Child Being Abducted So Police Would Speed Up Search For Stolen Truck

On Wednesday, police were put on high alert for a missing 18-month toddler who was supposedly taken when a Phoenix couple’s truck was stolen from a QuickTrip gas station.

But part of the couple’s 911 call was a lie. There was no toddler in the car. The couple said there was so that police would start searching for the stolen vehicle quicker.

“The couple wanted a quicker police response to get their vehicle back from the suspects who took their truck without their permission,” police said.

Over 50 officers and a police helicopter were dispatched to aid in “an intensive search.” The couple was also told that an Amber Alert would be issued.

Eventually, the couple’s 1999 Ford F-250 was found, as well as the suspects—a man and a woman—who allegedly stole the truck.

However, they didn’t find the child because the whole story was a lie.

“After an intensive search for the reported baby, we have learned that the ‘caregiving couple’ fabricated the story of a kidnapping,” police said in a tweet late Wednesday. “The couple wanted a quicker police response to get their vehicle back from the suspects who took their truck without their permission.”

UPDATE: After an intensive search for the reported baby, we have learned that the "care giving couple" fabricated the story of a kidnapping. The couple wanted quicker police response to get their vehicle back from the suspects who took their truck without their permission. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/dzUWlbP6iC

— Phoenix Police (@PhoenixPolice) May 13, 2021

In another tweet, authorities added, “The resources used during this investigation worked tirelessly to find the alleged kidnapped baby. A police helicopter was also used during the search. With the facts as we now know them, the suspects will now be arrested and booked for false reporting to law enforcement.”

The couple–Stormee Wagner, 40, and James Wagner, 37–face misdemeanor charges that carry a maximum penalty of six months behind bars and a $2,500 fine and three years of probation, the outlet reported.

They remain in the Maricopa County Jail with no bond.