ST. LOUIS COUNTY – The St. Louis County Police canceled an alert on Monday afternoon, March 30, 2026, after detectives determined there was never a missing or abducted child reported from the 9800 block of New Hampshire Avenue in the Affton-Southwest Precinct, the department said.
The St. Louis County Police Department’s Bureau of Crimes Against Persons detectives “have been able to confirm that there was never an abducted child” from that location, according to a statement from the department’s Affton Southwest Precinct.
Police said the “reporting party recanted,” and the department declared, “There is no missing child.”
“While we are extremely grateful that there is no child in danger, we want to be very clear – we will use all available resources to ensure our community members, especially the most vulnerable among us, are safe,” the statement said.
Detectives are seeking charges against “the two women involved in this hoax,” police said.
The department also thanked partner agencies that assisted in the search effort. “Thank you to all our law enforcement partners, including the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and St. Charles City Police Department, who provided resources and tips for the search,” the statement said.
