Recently, people all over social media have been speculating about a “mass kidnapper” here in Virginia. During the week of August 3-9, 88 children were reported missing to the Missing Children Clearinghouse (MCC), the central database for information about missing children. In comparison, the 2025 weekly average of missing children is 99. Still, many people are concerned about the high number of reported missing children in the past few weeks. Some people do believe that there is some kind of kidnapper, but others think that it’s all a hoax.
Many people on TikTok and Facebook have been claiming they have seen a suspicious ice cream truck late at night, around 9:00 or 10:00 pm. They have said that the truck’s music is unsettling and that the speed of the truck is unusually slow. One user posted a video on August 20th saying, “Why is this ice cream truck out at 1:00 am?” In this video, a man is telling her she can get free ice cream if she gets into the truck. Two days later, she posted a video in the hospital, hooked up to an IV. These videos have raised many concerns, as well as a lot of suspicions about the authenticity of the situation. Then, two days after the second video, she posted a story-time saying that nothing actually happened, and the real reason she went to the hospital was because of a panic attack. People are upset that she used this situation for clout and attention, but this has unfortunately been the case for the majority of videos on this topic.
The Virginia State Police (VSP) have stated that they are aware of multiple social media posts raising concerns about missing children in the state of Virginia. They have since debunked these statements, saying that they are the only state agency that forwards every missing child case, regardless of circumstances, to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC). According to NCMEC, Virginia is the most proactive in sending missing child cases to their website. Virginia does this to centralize cases so they can all be looked at in one location. Many other clearinghouses post their cases to their own law enforcement website, but the Virginia MCC uses the NCMEC as the clearinghouse site. This policy is the reason Virginia often appears to have higher numbers of missing children on the NCMEC website than other states. Additionally, according to the VSP, most of the children reported missing are runaways, and most return shortly after being reported missing.
Here is the data for missing children in Virginia, shared to me by the VSP’s Public Relations Coordinator, Matthew Demlein:
-Over 95% of the missing children reports and runaways, which is consistent with the national average.
-488 children have run away more than once, and are responsible for a total of 895 additional missing children reports.
-Over 25% of missing child reports are repeat cases and not new missing children.
-The Virginia State Police has issued a total of 26 CODI Alerts and 2 Amber Alerts in 2025 to date, all of which were found.
While alarming social media rumors have sparked fear of a “mass kidnapper” in Virginia, the Virginia State Police have confirmed that the majority of missing child reports involve runaways who are quickly located. Virginia’s unique policy of forwarding every case to the NCMEC makes its numbers appear higher than other states, but it does not indicate a larger threat. With over 95% of missing child cases resolved, and every CODI Alert and Amber Alert in 2025 successfully closed. Authorities emphasize that there is no evidence of a mass abduction and only the need for continued awareness.
Sources:
Bonk, Valerie. “Hoax about Mass Kidnappings Circulates on Social Media, Virginia State Police Say.” WTOP News, 15 Aug. 2025, wtop.com/virginia/2025/08/hoax-about-mass-kidnappings-circulates-on-social-media-virginia-state-police-say/. Accessed 8 Sept. 2025.
Cook, Gina. “Social Media Posts Claiming Mass Kidnappings in Virginia Are False, Police Say.” NBC4 Washington, 14 Aug. 2025, www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/social-media-posts-claiming-mass-kidnappings-in-virginia-are-false-police-say/3974929/.
Mitchell, Leila. “Virginia State Police Debunk Viral Mass Kidnapper Rumor.” Https://Www.wdbj7.com, WDBJ, 14 Aug. 2025, www.wdbj7.com/2025/08/14/virginia-state-police-debunk-viral-mass-kidnapper-rumor/.
On, and Rory Johnson. “VSP Addresses Claims of Mass Abduction of Children in the Commonwealth.” Https://Www.12onyourside.com, WWBT, 13 Aug. 2025, www.12onyourside.com/2025/08/13/vsp-address-claims-mass-abduction-children-commonwealth/. Accessed 8 Sept. 2025.
“Virginia State Police Address Viral Social Media Videos Regarding Missing Children in the Commonwealth.” Virginia State Police, 2025, vsp.virginia.gov/virginia-state-police-address-viral-social-media-videos-regarding-missing-children-in-the-commonwealth/.
