Singer and Virginia native Chris Brown is calling attention to the viral reports alleging there’s been an uptick in kidnappings and dozens of missing children in the state; however, state police are insisting that the reports and social media posts are false.
On Friday (August 15), Chris Brown — who was born and raised in Tappahannock, Virginia — took to his social media. The “It Depends” singer used his platform to call attention to several social media posts and reports alleging several kidnappings in Virginia.
Brown wrote on his Instagram Story, “Am I the only one concerned about all these kids going missing in VIRGINIA?” Brown — who is a father to three children (two girls and one boy) — shared an advisory to other parents in his homestate. He said, “Parents, make sure y’all keeping an eye on y’all children. Please.”
Virginia State Police Insists There Has NOT Been An Uptick In Missing Children Reports Amid Viral Social Media Posts
However, two days before Chris Brown’s post, on Wednesday (August 13), Virginia State Police addressed the viral social media videos regarding missing children in the Commonwealth. A press release, published out of Richmond, said:
“Virginia State Police is aware of multiple social media posts raising concerns about missing children across the Commonwealth of Virginia. Virginia State Police is not investigating any reports of mass abductions in Virginia, nor is there evidence of mass abductions occurring in Virginia.
Virginia State Police oversees the Virginia Missing Children Clearinghouse (MCC) in addition to the alert programs (the CODI and Amber alerts are relevant here). The current list of all missing children in Virginia is located here: Missing Posters Search Results.
Virginia has reported more missing children than other states on the National Center for Missing and Exploited Kids (NCMEC) website. This is because Virginia State Police forwards EVERY missing child case to NCMEC. According to NCMEC, Virginia is the most pro-active in sending cases to their website. Virginia does this to centralize missing children’s cases so they can all be reviewed in one location. Many other clearinghouses post their cases to their own website. In Virginia, the MCC uses NCMEC as the clearinghouse site.
Nearly all missing children are investigated at the local level. When a child (under the age of 21) goes missing, investigating agencies have TWO HOURS to report it to Virginia State Police. If the agency believes it rises to the level of a CODI or Amber Alert, the agency makes the request.
More information can also be located here: Missing Children Clearinghouse (MCC) – Virginia State Police. Anyone with information on a missing child can contact (804) 674-2000 or (804) 674-2026 after business hours. You can also email VAMissing@vsp.virginia.gov
The Virginia State Police encourages the public to visit the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children website for the complete listing of photos and informational posters for Virginia’s missing children. Any information you may have relating to these disappearances could be the tip needed in solving the case.”
Now, according to VSP data, last week there were 88 children reported missing to the Virginia Missing Children Clearinghouse, a center for missing child cases. This is below the 2025 weekly average of missing children in Virginia, which stands at 98 kids. State Police also say that most missing children are runaways, and that most of them “return shortly after” authorities list them as missing.
Since January, 3,274 children have been reported missing to the Virginia Missing Children Clearinghouse. As of Wednesday, officials say 141 are still missing. Virginia authorities state that this year, 25 CODI Alerts and 2 Amber Alerts were issued, and all of the children were found.
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More Officials Deny Viral Reports Alleging Mass Kidnappings And Increased Missing Children Cases In Virginia
On Friday (August 15), John Bischoff, Vice President of the Missing Children Division at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, spoke with Washington D.C.’s WTOP News, which serves the DMV area (D.C., Maryland, Virginia).
He spoke on the pros and cons of social media, noting that his agency uses platforms to get information out about missing children across the U.S. However, in this case, the fake videos sent panic across social media. Bischoff explained:
“When that information gets out into the public, as false as it may be, it blossoms, and other people latch on to it. Social media can be an absolute double-edged sword. We received a lot of phone calls asking about a mass abductor in the state of Virginia. We have no information to support that.
Look to trusted resources. Look to us. Follow us on social media … follow the Virginia State Police or and even local police. Certainly, they’re going to be posting the most accurate information to follow.
As we saw in the past week here, it was a catalyst for misinformation. A lot of calls went to Virginia State Police. A lot of calls came to our call center. They’re not aware of any mass abductions. They’re not investigating anything mass-related or anything like that.
Here in the state of Virginia, if we were, we would absolutely sound the alarm for a huge public outcry, but that’s not the case. What we do have are missing children. Each and every day, we deal with missing child cases, and we need the public’s help in finding those missing children.”
Elsewhere, on Thursday (August 14), Virginia’s ABC 13 – WSET reported that Virginia State Police have discredited the mass kidnapping reports as rumors. They noted that the rumors have caused widespread panic, with many claiming that there has been an uptick in the number of missing children across the state.
Speaking with WSET, local criminologist and former police officer, Todd Burke, warned social media users that you can’t always trust what you see online. Burke said that the numbers reported are not unusual, and actually reflect effective communication between police agencies. Burke also said that police work hard to find every missing child and that they find most of them shortly after going missing. He explained:
“Social media can be extremely useful, but it can also be dangerous, particularly when you’re dealing with false reports and misinformation. There is not a spike in numbers. There’s not this big cult going around kidnapping children. Do kidnappings occur? Yes. But they’re extremely rare, and more than likely we’re talking about a missing child who will be found unharmed.”
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