BARBOURSVILLE, W. Va – Police in West Virginia said a woman who claimed she stopped a man from kidnapping her daughter by pulling a gun on him has recanted her story.
Barboursville police said they found multiple inconsistencies with her story after reviewing security footage and finding no witnesses to the incident.
On Tuesday, the woman was called back to the police station, where she admitted that she may have “misinterpreted the intentions of the male suspect.”
The woman, who has not been named by police, said the whole exchange might have been a “cultural misunderstanding” and was patting her daughter on the head and smiling.
Police said the suspect, a 54-year-old man from Egypt, was arrested in the mall on a felony charge of attempted abduction.
Barboursville police said they collected statements from the woman and her 5-year-old daughter on Monday, which led to the man being held in jail on a $200,000 bond.
