Amber Alert Canceled, Called a Hoax

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation along with the Missouri State Highway Patrol canceled their AMBER Alerts Thursday morning after determining the four 911 calls made to local law enforcement agencies claiming a kidnapping Wednesday were a hoax.

The caller identified herself as 13-year-old Latrice Watson and that she and her 10-year-old sister had been kidnapped and were being molested by a 57 to 60-year-old white male and all were driving in a red or burgundy Chevy Suburban.

The timeline of yesterday’s events that led up to issuing the AMBER Alerts are as follows:
• Dyer County dispatch received the first call at 3:31 PM. The caller advised the man threatened to kill them if she called police and that they were driving on a two lane road and all she could see were woods.
• A second call came into the Dyer County Dispatch at 3:56 PM with the caller claiming she told the man she called police and he slapped her.
• A third call was received by the Pemsicott County, MO dispatch at 5:00 PM and begins recording as soon as the caller hits send, but before the dispatcher picks up. A voice is heard telling someone to scream when the dispatcher picks up. After the dispatcher picks up, screams are heard and the caller hangs up.
• A fourth call comes into the Pemsicott County, MO dispatch at 5:00 PM right after the third call. The dispatcher is heard trying to get the caller to give her a location of the vehicle they are in.

The TBI issued an AMBER Alert shortly after 5:00 PM and the Missouri State Highway Patrol quickly followed.

After a thorough investigation, police have determined that there are no missing children in either state and that the calls were a prank.

Law enforcement is now working to identify the caller so that false reporting charges can be filed. If anyone has information about the incident, please contact the TBI at 1-800-TBI-FIND