'Deceased Infant' Tale Gets Out of Control - 'Oh What a Tangled Web We Weave'

BROOKSVILLE – Last week, R New received a very disturbing viewer tip who stated a deceased infant had been located in a wooded area and was concerned that there had been no media coverage.

According to the source, the deceased infant was found in the woods near Cortez Blvd and Hwy 50 (Truck Route) on the evening of Friday, January 12th. The source said the information was credible because it came from someone she knew personally.

R News inquired about the incident with the Hernando County Sheriff's Office, but we received no response from their Public Information Office.

Today, over a week since the investigation began, the Hernando County Sheriff's Office released a statement explaining what transpired.

Officials say a woman contacted the Sheriff's Office to report that her sister's ex-boyfriend located the body of a deceased infant. Detectives contacted the ex-boyfriend, who officials are not identifying, to discuss his discovery. During an interview, the subject advised that it was a misunderstanding and that he lied to his ex-girlfriend (Mother of a child they have in common) to gain sympathy from her.

The subject stated that he was working in the wooded area when he discovered a "creepy-looking doll." He then photographed with his cell phone. Later, while showing photos to his son, they came across the photo. In an attempt to prevent further action, he told his ex-girlfriend that he had already reported it to the authorities. Attempting to make the story more believable, he told his ex that a full investigation was conducted and that forensics responded to collect evidence. When she asked to see the photo, he told his ex that he deleted it to prevent their son from seeing it. Additionally, she would have easily determined that it was a doll.

Despite the elaborate story, detectives responded to the area to make sure there wasn't a deceased infant in the woods. Detectives were unable to locate anything, including the doll in question.

Officials say that since the subject never reported the incident to law enforcement, he was not charged with a crime. However, he was educated by detectives about the repercussions of his fraudulent story, which wasted countless hours of Sheriff's Office manpower and resources.