A “missing” Pennsylvania woman wasn’t missing at all, according to police, who said she instead faked her own disappearance and falsely claimed she had been abducted.
Chloe Stein, 23, has been charged with misdemeanor counts including making false reports, disorderly conduct and obstruction of administration of law, according to online court records in Westmoreland County.
Court records show that on Wednesday she was released with a bail amount of $25,000. She has a preliminarily scheduled hearing for the 25th of May. Digital reports that her lawyer has confirmed she’s pleaded guilty to every charge.
“My client and her family are grateful for the support and kindness of all concerning recent events, and to that end respectfully request privacy at this time,” Stein’s attorney, Phillip DiLucente, responded via email to a request for comment from Digital on Wednesday.
Stein reportedly was last seen about 10:35 p.m. on Monday as she left a Sonic restaurant where she worked, police said.
According to the state police, while driving home she sent a text message to her boyfriend informing him that she had been pulled over.
The authorities reported that the family of the woman who went missing had found her abandoned Volkswagen Beetle on a public road.
After receiving a tip on Tuesday, the state police found Stein at a friend’s house and brought her to be questioned. Stein, who initially claimed she was kidnapped by a man in a mask at gunpoint, allegedly admitted to making up the entire story.
State trooper Steve Limani, a local reporter, said that the search for this woman cost tens of thousands.
“She was at a residence. She knew people were looking for her,” Limani said. “She knew that the way she described the event … would cause alarm.”
Stein, who was thought to have graduated from Penn State University in May of this year, had not been attending classes since 18 months. Police said that officials at the college told them she hadn’t attended any class for over a year.