West Virginia Woman Cleared In False Abduction Trial

HUNTINGTON, W. Va. (AP) — A West Virginia woman has been cleared of charges that she made up a story about an Egyptian man trying to kidnap her child in a shopping mall.

News outlets report a Cabell County jury on Monday found Santana Renee Adams of Milton not guilty of falsely reporting an emergency.

Adams was initially hailed as a hero after claiming she used a gun to thwart the attempted kidnapping of her daughter at a Barboursville mall in 2019.

She told authorities the man tried to drag the girl away by her hair, but her story unraveled when no witnesses were found.

The man was released from jail and Adams was charged.

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