Fresno Police Say No Evidence To Back Up Reported Abduction

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FRESNO, Calif. (AP) -- Police in Fresno say they have no evidence that a reported kidnapping there actually happened.

Girls aged 17 and 14 had reported Tuesday that they saw a man grab a girl who looked about 8 years old at a shopping center and drag her away.

Police had reason to doubt from the start because no one had reported a missing child, but took the report seriously out of caution.

Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer said 70 officers, a police dog and FBI agents searched for the girl, but did not find her and concluded there had been no crime.

Dyer stopped short of saying the girls had fabricated the story, but said one of them based on her history was less than credible.