Local

Photo of American sisters used to falsely claim they disappeared in South Africa

Lina Portman2 days ago

0 Less than a minute

Posted on June 22, 2024, the message was shared more than 9,900 times before being deleted.

The same claim has also been spread in other Facebook posts, including here.

A similar claim about the missing girls in South Bend, Indiana, has been shared more than 4,000 times, although the comments section has been disabled — an indication that the post may be a scam.

The allegations, citing both Cape Town and Indiana, are indeed false.

Tragedy in Louisiana

A reverse image search revealed that the couple disappeared on June 13, 2024, after their mother was found murdered in her home in Loranger, Louisiana.

Authorities said the search for the girls ended the next day in Mississippi, when the three-year-old girl was found dead in a car. Her six-year-old sister was found alive (archive here).

The same image was used by Fox News in a broadcast and by police in the first “Amber Alert” issued for the girls.

A multi-agency investigation led to the arrest on June 14, 2024, of a 36-year-old man in Jackson, Mississippi (archived here).

On June 20, 2024, Daniel Callihan and his alleged accomplice Victoria Cox were charged with murder and kidnapping (archived here).

Disinformation tactic

The Facebook posts are similar to many others shared in community groups across the United States and debunked by AFP Fact Check in 2022.

Typically, posters spread alarm by spreading fictitious warnings about criminals targeting particular communities (see examples here and here ). When a post generates enough interest, it is usually edited to replace it with a bogus offer designed to solicit personal information.