Teen Fakes Kidnapping, Shoots Himself in Twisted Hoax

A Florida teenager who set off a statewide Amber Alert with a chilling tale of being shot and abducted has been accused of faking the entire ordeal — even going so far as to shoot himself to sell the story.

Authorities say 17-year-old Caden Rex Speight texted his mother claiming he had been shot and was being held by four Hispanic men he didn’t know. His truck and phone were found abandoned, leading investigators to believe he had been kidnapped in Dunnellon, about 80 miles northwest of Orlando.

But Sheriff Billy Woods now says the whole thing was a hoax. “The initial details that Caden texted to his family were proven to be false, completely made up,” Woods said in a video statement. Surveillance footage shows the teen buying a bicycle, tent, and camping gear at a Walmart just before the supposed abduction. Witnesses later confirmed that he simply rode off, while law enforcement scrambled to respond to what they thought was a life-threatening emergency.

To keep up the charade, Woods says Speight shot himself in the leg with a handgun before emerging near a roadway, where passersby found him and called for help. “There is zero chance that Caden’s gunshot wound came from any type of assailant,” Woods said, adding that evidence at the scene backed up their conclusion.

The sheriff admitted many people were emotionally invested in the case as it spread across the state, with local, state, and federal agencies pouring resources into the search. He praised his staff for working around the clock on what they believed was a legitimate abduction.

Speight’s parents have so far refused to let detectives question their son, making it harder for investigators to piece together exactly why he staged the event. Sheriff Woods confirmed that criminal charges are being considered, and authorities may also pursue reimbursement for the massive cost of the investigation.