Gang Rape Hoax: Texas Teen Admits Sexual Assault By Masked Black Men Was Made Up

A Texas teenager who claimed she was kidnapped and sexually assaulted by three black men in ski masks revealed she made the story up, police said Thursday.

Eighteen-year-old Breana Talbott went missing March 8 from her apartment in Denison, Texas, a town near the Oklahoma border. When she reappeared four hours later, Talbott was wearing only a bra, a shirt and underwear, her body covered in scratches.

Police instantly mobilized a search for her attackers, though they later said they were wary of her allegations from the start.

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“Almost from the beginning, we had doubts in Breana Harmon Talbott’s story as the puzzle pieces just weren’t coming together,” the Denison Police Department chief Jay Burch said in a statement released Thursday. “We were unable to corroborate any of Talbott’s allegations that she had been abducted or sexually assaulted.”

Upon more detailed questioning, Talbott quickly recanted her story, admitting that the cuts and scrapes on her body were self-inflicted.

“This alleged crime as reported by Breana Harmon Talbott made many in the community fearful there were individuals abducting women,” Burch said in the statement. “Even though we know the story to be a hoax, there is still potential damage to the reputation of the City of Denison and the Texoma region as many may remember the reported crime but not the outcome. That is unfortunate.”

Police also said they believed the crime scene was staged from her disappearance all the way to her reappearance, though Denison Police Lt. Mike Eppler said they still hadn’t discerned her motive, according to Dallas News.

The Denison Police Department officially closed the case, though criminal charges will be leveled against the teen for falsely reporting a crime — a misdemeanor in Texas. Police added they would seek restitution for money spent on such a costly case.

“Talbott’s hoax was also insulting to our community and especially offensive to the African-American community due to her description of the so-called suspects in her hoax,” Burch said. “The anger and hurts caused from such a hoax are difficult and all so unnecessary.”