Ohio woman posts fake kidnapping photos and videos online
Thelma Williams, 38, of Lemon Township, posted photos and videos of herself to Facebook on Wednesday tied to a pole in her basement and gagged with women's underwear.
A caption along with the photos and video read: 'This is your Thelma'.
However, it was determined that Williams has conducted the elaborate ruse in a desperate endeavor for attention.
Friends called 911 after seeing the photos and videos appear on Facebook.
'They hacked her old Facebook account. It has video and a picture of her and it says that they have her and they're going to kill her,' the 911 caller told a dispatcher, according to WLWT.
Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones said police initiated a full response, including a helicopter search and shutting down a highway, which cost thousands of dollars.
Deputies said they found Williams loosely bound with ripped clothes when they arrived.
At the time, she told officers that a masked man, possibly named Tony, broke into her home on South Verity Parkway and tied her up.
A search of Williams's Facebook also showed statuses dating back to September 18, claiming a man named 'Tony' had taken over her account.
'My name is Tony! Tell little Thelma she can't hide forever. I see her when she's sleeping. I'm like santie claws [sic]!' read a September 18 post.
Another status from September 24 read: 'Do you think she'll look pretty with her insides spilled all over the basement floor.'
A search of Williams's Facebook also showed statuses dating back to September 18, claiming a man named 'Tony' had taken over her account
According to WCPO 9, after several hours of investigation - which included viewing a local McDonald's security tape that showed Williams inside at the time she claimed she was tied up - it was concluded that the story was false.
Additionally, Sheriff Jones added that Williams could be seen adjusting herself for the camera in the video.
'We can actually see her waiting for it to come on so she can get her serious face on,' he said.
Detectives said Williams indicated she wanted attention from her family, adding that she was going through 'personal issues' after recently breaking up with her boyfriend.
Sheriff Jones described it as 'one of the most bizarre cases we've had in quite some time.'
Williams was charged with filing a false report, a fifth-degree felony, and taken to the Middletown jail.
She is scheduled to be arraigned Friday in Middletown Municipal Court.
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