Franklin police debunked a social media post alleging a human trafficking abduction was attempted at a Big Lots in the city.
Franklin Police Chief Kirby Cochran said the post made by a woman on Monday about the incident was false, after further investigation. There is no evidence of an abduction attempt at that time, or a record of a call made to the Franklin Police Department then, he said.
The woman had posted on Facebook that she and her daughter were followed by a man and woman inside Big Lots on Monday night. When they tried leaving the building and going to her car, the two people followed her out and a van pulled up next to her car. She said she screamed at them, went back inside and then called the Franklin police.
She said the police found a black zip tie on her car, which she claimed she was told was a way to track cars for human trafficking. She additionally said Franklin police escorted her home after the incident.
The now-deleted post circulated through many different local groups on Facebook Monday evening and on Tuesday.
Cochran said a call was never made to the Franklin Police Department, and police were never dispatched to Big Lots on Monday. He checked with the Johnson County 911 Center and the police department secretarial staff, he said. He also talked to Big Lots management, who also said there was never an emergency on the property that night.
The post also had similar wording as other false human trafficking posts made in other areas, including the detail about black zip ties, he said.
Cochran reached out to the woman and her mother, and advised if the post was inaccurate or false, it needed to be removed. The post was deleted soon after, he said.
He described the situation as “very disheartening,” as a false post like this causes unnecessary alarm to the community and issues for the business in question. It also takes time for officers who have to investigate the claims.
The woman did not formally make a false police report, so she cannot be charged with a crime. The department takes human trafficking reports seriously, and officers will investigate every claim thoroughly, Cochran said.
