Dec 26, 2008 7:06 pm US/Eastern
Police: Missing Baby Story Was A Hoax
MIAMI (WBZ) ―
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"Riley Buchness"
Family Photo/FDLE/CBS
The search in Florida for a missing toddler with ties to Massachusetts has been called off - because it was a hoax.
Miami police had been looking for help in their
search for 6-month-old Riley Buchness, who was reportedly last seen by his mother -- a Boston woman -- on Dec. 23 in Miami.
HOW IT STARTED
Police had very few details of the boy's disappearance when they first asked for the public's help Thursday.
However, they did release a photo of him, saying he was with a woman by the name of "Camile."
"Camile" was allegedly the boy's nanny and she was possibly traveling in a red Acura, possibly with a Massachusetts license plate.
NO NANNY AND NO BABY
It turns out there is no Camile and there is no Riley.
Miami police said Friday that the whole story was fabricated by the woman who claimed to be the missing child's mother.
That woman, Meagan McCormic, 22, has now been charged with filing a false police report. She was shown on closed circuit television.
In court, a prosecutor used McCormic's Boston roots to argue for higher bail. "The defendant has ties to Boston, she's from Boston, and could be a flight risk."
McCormic moved to Miami last fall.
A judge set bond at $500 for McCormic Friday afternoon.
THE REAL STORY
According to Miami police detective Freddy Ponce, McCormic made up the story about her missing 6-month-old son to cover up the fact that she had a miscarriage six months ago and didn't want her ex-boyfriend, John Buchness, to know the truth.
Detective Ponce explained to
CBS4 in Miami that when Buchness came to town from Boston for the holidays to visit McCormic and his son, she made up the story about the baby disappearing with a nanny.
Watch the Miami report
Police say Buchness had no knowledge of the miscarriage and was in Miami to meet his son for the first time.
Investigators say McCormic found the picture of a child on the Internet and claimed it was her son.
"It's a great length that she took to fabricate this whole story just to try and save a broken relationship," said Willy Moreno of the Miami Police Dept.
HOAX FALLS APART
McCormic told investigators that she didn't have a last name for the nanny or an address.
That's when the story started to fall apart.
"Through many hours of investigation and interviews with the mother, the fact is that the baby never existed," said Det. Ponce.
Police want McCormic to pay for the resources that were used in the search.
Nearly 20 detectives worked the case during Christmas Eve and Christmas.
"A lot of resources went to waste here and these resources could have been used on people who had legitimate cases," Moreno said.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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