A Florida teen was arrested Tuesday for allegedly staging his own abduction and shooting himself in the leg to keep up the ruse — as police discovered frantic texts he sent his family were “completely false.”
Caden Speight, 17, faces a slew of charges, including filing a false report, firing a gun into a vehicle, and having a firearm as a minor for the elaborate scheme, according to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.
The teen was feared to be in grave danger when he suddenly vanished in Dunnellon, north of Tampa, on Sept. 25, and authorities uncovered his abandoned truck with a gunshot hole through the windshield.
Investigators also found Speight’s severely damaged cellphone, drag marks in the dirt and bicycle tracks leading away from his truck” and “suspected blood” near the truck, the department said.
At the time, authorities believed Speight had been abducted in a light-colored van by “four Hispanic men,” based on details the teen had texted to his family.
The Marion County Sheriff’s Office deployed a helicopter overnight and issued an AMBER alert to locate the presumed-missing teenager.
However, authorities quickly realized something was wrong with the alleged kidnapping when they discovered Speight was seen by an eyewitness “leaving the area on a bicycle.”
Speight had also purchased camping supplies at Walmart just before he was reported missing, according to police.
Detectives also found Speight’s ChatGPT searches on his laptop included asking about “collecting his blood without causing pain” and “Mexican cartels.”
“While continuing the investigation, detectives additionally learned that Speight had mentioned running away before,” the department revealed.
The teen was eventually found during a service call by police on Sept. 28, about 25 miles away from where he was reported missing.
Speight was suffering from a “self-inflicted gunshot wound to his leg, which shattered his femur and required medical treatment,” which police believed was an attempt to continue the ruse.
He was also found with a handgun and the bicycle still in his possession when he was located.
“The initial details that Caden texted to his family, were proven to be false. Completely made up,” the sheriff’s office said.
“We did find evidence of a single gunshot where Caden left his truck. However, his claims that he had been shot and abducted were quickly disproven.”
Speight did not confess to having fabricated a hoax after deputies tracked him down. After wrapping up the investigation, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office issued a warrant for Speight’s arrest.
He is currently locked up at the Department of Juvenile Justice.
