Nancy Salas, a 22-year-old woman whose disappearance led to a massive search in a Southern California canyon, was found alive in downtown Merced on Thursday.
Less than 12 hours after she was found, however, police learned the entire affair was a hoax -- made up by Salas herself.
Glendale Police Sgt. Tom Lorenz, who spoke to the Sun-Star late Thursday, said Salas at first claimed she was kidnapped by a knife-wielding man, who brought her to Merced. After Salas returned Thursday evening to her home in Glendale, however, Lorenz said Salas admitted that she'd lied. "When she got back here and realized she was about to face her family, the light came on," Lorenz said.
Read the whole story at mercedsunstar.com