Police say Facebook posts of missing officer are fake
CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WBOY) — A social media post claiming that a police officer is missing out of Clarksburg has been making the rounds over the past few days, but officials said it's all fake.
12 News first learned of this case Thursday evening when a post in a Uniontown, Pa.-based Facebook group was sent our way that claimed a local officer named Marrie-Anne Hendrix has been missing since Wednesday morning and 'may be in EXTREME danger.' 12 News contacted the Uniontown Police Department, which said the post was fake.
A few hours later, 12 News discovered another post made in a Clarksburg-based group with the same pictures claiming the officer was missing out of Clarksburg and that her name was Kathleen Ballinger.
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So who even is this woman?
Her real name is Kennedy Ballinger, and she is a real officer with the Middletown Division of Police (MDP) in Middletown, Ohio. The MDP acknowledged the fake posts Thursday afternoon, where it detailed how Ballinger and another officer have been the focus of a mass scam in which fake accounts are made and post messages in 'buy here sell here' Facebook groups claiming that the officers are missing.
Do yourself a favor and do some digging before re-sharing the post. If it's legit, you would see it right here on our page or see it on the news wherever you live. The easiest thing to look for is if the comments have been turned off. You could also do a reverse image search on Google and see how many times the photo was used in a post or ad and see the different cities that were tagged.
These particular posts spread like wildfire, we ask that you report them as you see them. Thank you and be aware!!
Middletown Division of Police
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