Hannah Potts Found Safe, Family Members Say Video Claiming She Was Abducted Was A Lie
Hannah Potts has been found safe, and family members say the Indiana woman faked her abduction as a way to get attention.
Police reported that the missing woman has now been located, but did not comment on claims that she had fabricated an abduction. Additionally, they have not indicated if she is being investigated for any potential crime.
The 23-year-old was reported missing on Friday, but she was located safe on Sunday, the Courier & Press reported. The report added that Potts was last seen at her home on Top Hat Road around 2 a.m. on Friday. The woman’s twin sister, Lauren Potts, wrote that Hannah had shared a video on social media saying that she had been kidnapped.
On Sunday, Hannah’s sister, Brittany Schonaman, took to Facebook to claim that Hannah had lied about the abduction, saying that it had been planned for some time. Brittany claimed that the family did not know where Hannah was staying and that she is refusing contact with them.
Brittany added that she was saddened that Hannah had apparently claimed a person of color was responsible for her kidnapping, saying it could have led to someone being wrongly targeted.
“I publicly disown nor want nothing to do with my sister going forward. She is dead to me,” she wrote. “I hope she is prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. My family feel extremely embarrassed and hurt by her actions, and the fact she tried pinning this on a person of color. I pray no black man with a maroon colored car was targeted due to her blantant (sic) lie.”
The Gibson County Sheriff’s Office, which initially shared news of the alleged disappearance, did not confirm details of the allegations that the disappearance was a hoax, only saying that she had been found safe and was not believed to be in any danger.
“The missing person from Gibson County, Hannah Potts, was located by Deputies of the Gibson County Sheriff’s Office on July 26th, 2020,” the department said in a statement posted on Facebook. “Hannah Potts is in no distress, and foul play is not indicated in her disappearance.”
News of the woman’s alleged abduction captured national attention last week, and the FBI had reportedly offered to help in the search for Hannah.
BREAKING: The FBI in Indianapolis confirms federal agents from Evansville have offered the Gibson County Sheriff's Office with assistance and resources if needed in the search for missing 23-year-old Hannah Potts.
— Noah Alatza (@noahalatza) July 25, 2020
Many others took to social media to share a description of Potts in the hopes that it could assist in the search.
