Over the weekend, my news feed was flooded with friends sharing information about a girl from Princeton that had been kidnapped, and there was a video on her Facebook account to prove it. Well, I'll be completely honest, something seemed a little off about the whole story. But, once I saw that the Gibson County Sheriff's Department had shared the information on Facebook, I wrote an article to help get the word out.

I'm from Princeton, so many of my friends know the Potts family, and I followed the story closely throughout the weekend. Yes, I felt like this was important enough to help with, even though I was off work for the weekend. Many concerned people met on Saturday morning to search for Hannah in the wooded area near her parent's house.

I joined not one, but two Facebook groups that were started to share any tips, to help bring Hannah home safely. Side note, those groups were exhausting to follow. It was mostly people arguing about one theory over another, and the back and forth was not productive at all.

I checked social media even more than I usually do, hoping to see a positive outcome. The scenario was quite terrifying. Could a strange man in a maroon car scoop up this girl (Who is like 6ft. tall) and put her in his trunk? Why was she outside taking photographs at night? Why did she have two phones? How did she post the video or go live on Facebook without him knowing. Why didn't she call 911? So. Many. Questions.

I was so relieved when I read the Sheriff's department post that she had been located, and no foul play was suspected.

Gibson County Sheriff Facebook
Gibson County Sheriff Facebook
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Wait, does that mean she wasn't in danger? What about the scary video? After reading some of the strongly worded posts that Hannah's family shared, it seemed apparent that they were not happy with her. Apparently, she was doing this for a novel she's going to write, okay. Turns out, the police were not happy with her, either. Now, there is a warrant for her arrest, along with the two people that helped her fake the kidnapping. Gibson Country Prosecutor, Michael Cochren had this to say;

"Ms. Potts actions are criminal in nature. She had many people in her family and community worried sick over her personal health and safety. Further, she risked involving innocent individuals by giving a false description of the alleged abductor. Finally, the number of hours spent by multiple law enforcement agencies in this time of limited resources is simply not recoverable. This callous disregard for others simply will not be tolerated.”

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