MARION COUNTY, Fla. (Court TV) — A 17-year-old Florida boy is facing multiple charges after authorities say he staged his own kidnapping, prompting a massive search operation that involved dozens of law enforcement officers and resources.
Caden Speight was arrested on Tuesday and charged with making a false report to law enforcement, presenting false evidence, shooting into a conveyance and possession of a firearm by a minor, according to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.
This booking photo provided by the Marion County Sheriff’s Office shows Caden Speight, accused of faking his own kidnapping. (Marion County Sheriff’s Office)
The investigation began on Sept. 25 when Speight texted his family that he had been shot. Investigators responded to the scene of his last known location on Life360 and found his vehicle with Speight nowhere to be found.
Authorities allege Speight staged the scene to appear as a kidnapping, including firing a shot through the vehicle windshield, leaving blood in the vehicle and destroying his cellphone before fleeing on a bicycle. His laptop allegedly showed ChatGPT searches about collecting his blood without causing pain and Mexican cartels.
Speight was found the next day with a gunshot wound to his leg, which authorities allege was self-inflicted.
During the investigation, deputies discovered that Speight had orchestrated the fake kidnapping with help from another juvenile. The sheriff’s office has not released details about what motivated the teenager to stage the incident. Another juvenile is believed to have helped Speight orchestrate the fake kidnapping but authorities have not released details.
Speight’s case is being handled through the juvenile justice system. The other minor involved in the scheme has also been charged in connection with the incident.
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