- DCPO: Missing students found, confess to fabricating story
TWO UNDERAGED students from Los Amigos National High School, who were reported missing by their parents on Feb. 19, 2025, confessed to fabricating the kidnapping story, according to the Davao City Police Office (DCPO).
Meanwhile, Police conducted a further investigation to locate the netizen who posted a fabricated kidnapping story. It quickly gained traction and alarmed residents of the area.
The parents initially reported their daughters missing at 7:05 p.m. after reportedly receiving information through a group chat that men in a white van took them in front of the girls’ school.
Classmates later informed the parents that the girls were seen boarding a red Calinan PUJ bound for downtown, which was later confirmed by a close circuit television (CCTV) footage at approximately 12:10 p.m.
Further information led authorities to Mintal, Davao City.
The parents received text messages from their daughters, written in Visayan, claiming they were abducted in a white van, their hands and feet were tied, and they were separated from another young person.
Upon arriving in Mintal, officers, along with the parents and the girls’ class adviser, attempted to contact the students. However, the calls were repeatedly declined.
At 11:30 p.m., the class adviser successfully contacted the students, who revealed they were at a 7-Eleven store in Mintal. Authorities proceeded to the location and found the girls safe and sound.
During an interview at the police station, the students admitted they had gone to Vista Mall in Mintal at 1:00 p.m. to “hang out and enjoy their freedom” without their parents’ permission.
They left the mall at 8 p.m. and wandered the streets until reaching the Miyaki Inland Resort in Tugbok area at 10 p.m., where they stayed until midnight. The students confessed they fabricated the kidnapping story to avoid being reprimanded for staying out late.
They also admitted to intentionally causing minor injuries to their hands with a sharp stone to make their story more believable.
“Ma’am, we said we were kidnapped so that our parents wouldn’t scold us for coming home late. Also, Ma’am, we didn’t have fare anymore and we were afraid to walk,” they said.
The students were later released to their parents’ custody.
