General Discussion

The missing child alert sparked a flurry of speculation online in the overnight hours. A flood of unverified information across social media posts and websites shared across the state of Florida and nationally indicated that the teen was shot and abducted by four Hispanic men....

At noon on Friday, the Sheriff’s Office shared that there was no evidence to support an abduction, but that the teen’s disappearance still was being investigated in connection with a shooting.

“Primarily, at this time, there is no evidence to indicate that he was taken by four Hispanic men in a light-colored van,” said Zach Moore, public information officer with the Marion County Sheriff’s Office at the time. “It is possible that he left the incident location on a black bicycle with a red and grey tent, which he purchased at Walmart on SW 19th Avenue Road, in Ocala.”