Looks like a North Carolina woman is behind bars after lying about her own murder!
The Franklin Police Department took Margaret Frances Elizabeth “Maggie” Sweeney, 37, into custody on Monday for allegedly making “anonymous third-party false reports” to both a friend and the Department of Social Services on Aug. 18, claiming she had been murdered. Officers found Sweeney on Aug. 19 in a close by neighborhood. “Sweeney’s actions caused our department, as well as other departments, many hours of work which could have been spent on other matters,” police said in a statement on Facebook. “Family, friends, and the community as a whole were also very concerned and worried about Sweeney’s welfare.”
RELATED: Alabama Lawmaker Wants To Make Fake Abduction A Felony Following Carlee Russell Incident
An arrest warrant says authorities spent 75 hours searching for Sweeney and investigating the case, according to NBC News. Sweeney now faces charges of causing a false report to a police station, falsely reporting death or serious injury by telephonic communication, and obstructing law enforcement officers, police said.
Sweeney’s fake murder comes after the viral story of Carlee Russell lying about being kidnapped. The breaking news first made headlines when Carlee allegedly went missing on July 13, but was found safe on July 15. And while the police department is still actively investigating the case and gathering evidence, according to WVTM30, they revealed yesterday that the “snack food type items” Carlee bought prior to going missing from Target on Highway 280 were never found anywhere in or around her vehicle.
Furthermore, new information released by the police contradicts an earlier report of a toddler walking down the interstate, which was initially told to cops. Police say they have found no evidence to support this claim, nor did they receive any other calls regarding a child on the interstate. Police also say that the surveillance footage they obtained from Carlee’s residence reportedly showed her walking down the sidewalk before arriving home. A 911 caller initially told law enforcement officials that she was “unresponsive,” but when first responders arrived, she was “conscious and speaking.”
As we previously shared, the Hoover Police Department announced that Russell has been charged with making false statements to police. During the press conference we learned that Russell actually turned herself into authorities, but bonded out shortly after. She’s reportedly being charged with two class A misdemeanors. Each faces a maximum penalty of one year in prison.
Her attorney released the statement on her behalf which said, “My client has given me permission to make the following statement on her behalf. There was no kidnapping on Thursday July 13, 2023. My client did not see a baby on the side of the road. My client did not leave the Hoover area when she was identified as a missing person. My client did not have any help with this incident and this was a single act done by herself.”