Photo: AFP
Virginia State Police have addressed a wave of viral social media posts alleging mass child abduction.
In a statement, Virginia State Police said there is no evidence to support claims of mass child abductions, which have sparked panic across social media.
“Virginia State Police is aware of multiple social media posts raising concerns about missing children across the Commonwealth of Virginia,” the agency said. “Virginia State Police is not investigating any reports of mass abductions in Virginia, nor is there evidence of mass abductions occurring in Virginia.”
Several viral TikTok videos claimed that mass kidnappings were underway in Virginia. Officials said the rumors may have stemmed from a misinterpretation of statistics on the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) website, where Virginia often appears to have the most missing child reports.
“According to NCMEC, Virginia is the most proactive in sending cases to their website,” police explained.
Between August 3 and August 9, the week many of the TikTok videos surfaced, 88 children were reported missing in Virginia. That number is slightly below the state's 2025 weekly average of 98. State police said most of these cases involve runaways, and only about 4 percent of the 3,274 children reported missing so far this year remain unlocated.
Only two AMBER Alerts have been issued in Virginia in 2025, and both children were found safely, accoridng to police.
Authorities are urging residents to verify information before sharing it online, especially in cases involving missing children.
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