Cops: White teen who accused 3 black men of kidnap, rape, confesses to hoax
DENISON, Texas – Police say that a white teenager who said three black men kidnapped and raped her confessed to making up the story.
According to the Denison Police Department, Breana Harmon Talbott, 18, orchestrated an elaborate hoax that began when a man identifying himself as her fiance called police on March 8 and said she was missing. He told police her car had been found in the parking lot of an apartment complex with the driver’s side door open, with her phone, keys and a shoe nearby.
Police began a search and later that night, police say Talbott walked into a local church wearing just a shirt, bra and underwear, and with scratches and cuts on her body. She told people there she had been kidnapped and sexually assaulted in the woods behind the church.
When she spoke to police, Talbott described her attackers as “three black males” wearing ski masks. She said the men took her in a black SUV to a wooded area where two men raped her while one held her down.
But police say, “almost immediately, Talbott’s story and allegations began to unravel.” Police told Crimesider that investigators are still unclear about Talbot’s motivation.
Now, police say that Talbott admitted to investigators that the crime scene was staged and her injuries self-inflicted.
“We’ve had false reports before,” Lt. Mike Eppler told Crimesider, “but none to this extent.”
Talbott has been charged with false reporting, a Class B misdemeanor, and police say they plan to seek restitution for the costs of their search and investigation. As of Thursday morning, she was incarcerated in the Grayson County Jail on a $1,500 bond.