Kidnapping hoax: Delray Beach police say Jade Beneby lied about abduction

DELRAY BEACH, Fla. - A teen who claimed to be abducted on her way to a school bus stop made the story up, according to Delray Beach police.

Jade Beneby was found in a Hialeah motel hours after a state-wide missing child alert was issued Tuesday.

Hialeah police say the Florida Department of Law Enforcement recovered Beneby at El Paraiso Motel on 1615 West Okeechobee Road later that day.

The Atlantic High School student disappeared on her way to a Delray Beach bus stop at Southwest 8th Avenue and Southwest 1st Street Tuesday morning.

Beneby, 17, left her home around 6:30 a.m. and told her mother via text at 7:05 a.m. that she needed help, and that she was locked in the trunk of a car.

"Detectives spent numerous hours investigating the crime and found some inconsistencies," said Delray Beach Police Sgt. Nicole Guerriero.

"Today (Thursday) our detectives confronted her with those inconsistencies and she admitted that she voluntarily went to Miami and... voluntarily met an adult male... and there was no abduction," Sgt. Guerriero said.

The male that she was with was a young adult male who she met the night before on the internet, Sgt. Guerriero said.

Guerriero said Beneby's parents were victims as well and needed sympathy.

"We understand that the community is angry, we've seen the posts on Facebook and know they are angry. What we want everybody to realize is that this is a child. She's 17-years-old. Through cooperation with her and her family we've decided here at this agency that we are going to put her in a juvenile first offender program. And what that will mean is, it's a way for her to pay back the resources to the community involving community service," Sgt. Guerriero said.

According to Guerriero, Beneby made up the story because she was afraid to tell her parents she didn't go to school.

"Anytime there a case like this in the future, we'll ask for your help," said Sgt. Guerriero. "We hope that you won't judge based on this case, and not offer any assistance you may have."

NewsChannel 5's Marissa Bagg contributed to this report.